#Mando does this all the time too lol

[azure-clockwork]

Ugh, I really gotta stop getting into stuff because somebody describes it has having homoerotic relationships. My roommate who knows my tumblr was telling me about how prosekai had all these women who cared so so deeply about each other, and I used to love beat saber back when I had access to a VR rig, so I downloaded it, despite having no previous exposure to Miku except through said roommate. And now I am sitting here trying to think about Immanuel Kant and the ethics of end of life care but noooooo my brain wants to sing Ghost Rule at top volume. Thanks, brain. Thanks, women.

[gothamcityneedsme]

always sort of a weird moment when the most ic line is a flirt option lmao

[stardustdreams-andcaffeine]

Reluctant Protector | Din Djarin

Part 1 of 2

Din Djarin x Fem!reader

Summary: After being abandoned as a child, you grew up working for one of the most prolific crime lords in the galaxy in order to survive. It all comes crashing down as a split second decision has the Mandalorian hunting you. As it turns out, your hunter might be the only one who can save you. After all, the lines between predator and prey have always been blurred.

Warnings: angst (what's new), mild language, panic attack, violence, fluff, mentions of human trafficking (brief), Mando being a fool in love, adult themes throughout, happy ending (again, what's new)

A/N: This one was from the request that I accidentally deleted (i'm so mad at myself), but it was RIGHT up my alley lol. I hope my sweet anonymous finds this and I hope it is everything you wanted and more 🤍 ALSO! I got sooo carried away so it's a two-parter for ease of reading. You can find part 2 below!

Part 2

You never should have met the Mandalorian Bounty Hunter. 

You never should have left the comfort of your home planet as a child. You never should have known anything besides the warmth of your mother's arms. It does not make sense that someone like you would meet someone like him. It should not have been possible, not in a million sun cycles.

So how did your story and the Mandalorian's tangle? How did ‘never’ get overcome so easily, so swiftly?

The answer is rather simple. Anything that never should have been was thrown from impossible to possible the night your parents left on a date night when you were seven years old.

And never came back.

|||

You remembered everything from that night.

You remembered the way the rain pattered against the large window in the common room of your cozy home. You remembered the spread of stars peeking out from behind the rain clouds, ready to shine their light upon the newly-brought night. You remembered everything from that night, including the look upon your father's face when he said goodbye.

You were too young to understand it then, too little to catch the hint of despair and shred of desperation as he ushered your emotionless mother out of the front door.

"Be back before bedtime, mama! You have to finish that story you started last night," Your little voice rang out, a smile spread on your lips.

Your mother, almost numb, did not respond. Strange, she always did.

Noticing your growing frown, your father smiled, but it did not reach his eyes, "Goodbye, little one. We'll be back before you know it"

"Have a good night," You called back, already humming to yourself as you played with the toys your father had spilled out in a hurry before you, "Love you lots!"

You did not even glance up as the door shut, did not even seem to notice that, for the first time, your parents did not say they loved you too. Looking back, it was hard to fathom you had missed all of the signs. But you were just a kid, a kid. How could you have known? How could you have guessed?

How were you to predict that your parents would not walk back through that door?

When they did not make it back in time to say goodnight, you hadn't thought much about it. When you woke up and they still had not returned, confusion began to ring within your young, innocent soul. For the first day, you lost the worry to the joy that you did not have to go to lessons today. You ate what you wanted and played for as long as you liked, but when night came once more, you wondered when mama would return to finish her story.

The food ran out a week later, and it would only be a few more days until you would find out why exactly your parents had not returned.

Your small fingers worked anxiously on the drawing before you. It was all you could do not to burst into tears. Your mother and father were still not back, and you were hungry. You knew you'd have to go into town soon, but you had no money and no adults to protect you.

What had happened to mama and papa, you wondered? Were they hurt? Were they...were they dead?

That was when the front door opened for the first time in a week and a half, and your life changed forever.

You gasped as the door swung open, hope flooding your small being. You jumped to your feet swiftly and, with a bright smile upon your lips, sprinted blindly towards the man who had just walked through the door.

"Papa! I'm so-"

Your words died as you skidded to a halt before the looming Zeltron male before you. This wasn't your father, and your mother was nowhere near him. Taking a hesitant step back, your bottom lip began to tremble.

"Who are you?" You whispered, your small hands shaking and your youthful voice higher-pitched than normal. The magenta-skinned male tilted his head down at you, seeming to examine you closely for a moment.

"Vince Hanon," He replied, his voice smooth and flooded with calculation, "Your father owed me a great debt."

That was when you noticed the towering goons behind Vince, strapped to the teeth with blasters and blades alike. Your eyes widened a fraction before anger boiled through your blood. They hurt your parents, they were the reason mama hadn't come home.

Swifter than Vince or his men could predict, you shot to the side and grabbed one of the long-forgotten toys along the ground and hurled it at the tall Zeltron.

To your dismay, he caught it with ease.

A smirk danced on his face as he glanced at the toy and then at you with what seemed to be mirth. Without a word, his guards stalked forward, one pulling a pair of metal cuffs as he neared you. Surprisingly, Vince held out a single hand, stopping all movements of his men.

"Sir?" One asked, glancing back at him, "The next shipment of children leaves soon. If she is to join, we should-"

"Do not give this one to the Trade," Vince ordered, walking past his men and up to you. Ever so slowly, he knelt before you, "She is young enough to learn, and strong enough to survive."

"Survive what?" You blurted, your heart pounding in your chest, "What's the Trade? What are you going to do with me?"

Vince laughed deeply before you, "So many questions, child. You'll have your answers."

He stood before you, extending down a purple hand, "Come, I'm sure you're hungry."

And so, with no other choice, you took the strange man's hand and left.

Vince never lied to you. He told you the moment you left your home that your father had lost everything trying to pay back the debt he owed Vince. With nothing left to give but his only child, he had offered you up for the child slave trade.

For reasons you would never truly come to know, Vince did not trade you. In fact, he traded no other child after that night.

He informed you that he was the head of a group of people who did bad things for good reasons and rewards. It wouldn't be for another couple years until you understood that meant he was a Crime Lord. What he was doing was wrong, what he was training you to do was wrong.

But you were a kid, and you did what you had to do to survive.

You're not a kid anymore.

|||

Present Day

The barely-used knife pressed its soothing cool into the skin of your thigh as you sauntered through the compound. As you passed the counterparts you had known since childhood, they stepped aside with wary smiles.

They knew your true knife was not the blade with which you had a slightly below average affinity. It was your tongue.

“Look who it is, Vince’s little prodigy.” The sound of the ever-present guards outside of Vince Hanon’s office called out to you, their lips turned up in a not entirely taunting smirk. 

“Good morning, lackeys,” You greeted in return, stopping before the large, steel door that held your boss’s office behind it, “Vince sent word that he wanted to see me, another assignment apparently.”

One of the guards snickered slightly, “Hopefully it has nothing to do with using that blade on your thigh. Vince’s little prodigy would be too dead to report.”

“So funny,” You deadpan, shaking your head at the guard.

“You know, if Vince let you train with me as a child you would be proficient in the ways of combat,” The one who spoke first insisted. With a taunting smile, you walked up to the door and patted the guard’s shoulder.

“I’d also be as stupid as you, which is exactly why he didn’t.”

The laughter of the two guards filled your ears and brought a smile to your lips as you pushed the button on the panel beside the door. The steel whooshed aside, revealing Vince’s office. With that easy smile still on your lips, you greet the Zeltron who saved you as a child. His magenta skin gleamed in the sunlight that streamed in through the massive windows that made up the far wall of the office, and his white teeth were a stark contrast to the dark color as he looked up to you and smiled.

It did not go unnoticed that he only smiled at you like that.

Vince Hanon had no lover and no children, but anyone who knew a fraction about him knew that the closest thing he had to family was an abandoned child whose life he’d spared all those years ago. He wasn’t the father you’d always dreamed of, but he was the one you had. He hadn’t sold you for profit as your first father had, he hadn’t let you play with toys or even be a child in those first years under his care, but he had made you independent in this cruel, uncaring galaxy. That was something so very few women got to be. 

Vince Hanon made you self-sufficient when you should have died long ago, and it was that reason alone that made you grateful to him. Not caring, as a daughter would be to her father, as you knew he was with you, but grateful.

“My Prodigy,” Vince called out, standing from his massive mahogany desk carved with images of bones and crumbled towers along the legs, “It is always a pleasure to see you.”

“And you, Vince.” Your words were fluid and easy, not entirely a lie. A part of your heart was caught in anxious anticipation, though. 

You knew what came next. You knew he’d give you an assignment that made every part of your soul cringe. You knew what came next would push you further down the path of corruption and darkness. You knew, with a biting horror that never seemed to leave you alone, that after a few more years of doing his bidding, that small voice that whispered its disgust would go quiet. 

And you’d be just like Vince.

“I was pleased to see your last assignment was handled with efficiency and discreteness,” Vince complimented. You nodded obediently, your hands clasped before you.

“The debtor did not have the credits to pay the balance due, so it seemed the Hothian government misplaced the deed to her home.” You reported, the words less bitter on your tongue than they would have been a few years ago. 

“And it was found with my name on it,” Vince finished for you, allowing a deep chuckle to resonate through the room as he walked to your side. He put his arm along your shoulders, pulling you to his side and walking with you towards the back of his office space, “Good work, my Prodigy. I am impressed with how far you have come.”

“Thank you, Vince.” 

Your jaw was tight and that nagging grew in your soul. He was pleased that you’d placed an elderly woman onto the streets to repay the debt she owed. The debt to Vince for saving her son’s life after Vince had been the one to order his death.

Is this truly who you were now? 

The thought did not last long, as you shoved it deep down and locked it in the same room in your mind where you kept that little girl sleeping in front of an unopened door, waiting for her parents. You did what you had to in order to survive. You had no choice. 

How much longer would that lie placate you?

“I have been thinking,” Vince began again, stopping near the far wall of his office where a massive box covered with a large cloth sits. He removed his arm from your shoulders and stepped back to face you, “There is no one in this organization that I trust more than you.”

You blinked in surprise, the words slamming through you.You did not quite know how to feel when your trained eyes examined his features and expression and saw that he meant it, saw that he looked at you as a father would their child. Vince had trained you to see tells in a person’s face, and you saw none in his.

“You honor me, boss.”

Vince took a moment to simply examine your face, his eyes seeming to search for something. When he seemed to not find it, a small, real smile began on his lips. 

“I have one more assignment for you,” Vince informed, that smile growing as he took another step back and closer to the covered box, “And if you succeed, I want to make you my Second.”

The world seemed to stop spinning for a moment. Your eyes widened a fraction, your mouth dropping open the slightest bit. His Second, he wanted to make you his Second.

“But that would mean…” You trailed off, your eyes desperately searching for a tell of a lie on his face. You found none.

“You would take over for me when I retire.” Vince finished for you. 

“Vince, I couldn’t-”

“Yes, you could.” His interruption was accompanied by a hand to your shoulder, “You have earned this, my Prodigy. You deserve this.”

His Second. You would lead this organization one day, you would be the next Vince Hanon. You would have power and control. No more would you have to fear for the next meal or the next morning. You’d be safe, in control, in power. You could change the way this was run, maybe even do some good. 

This was the answer to the nagging in your chest, the horror in your soul. You could have a shot at redemption for all that you’ve done.

“Thank you, boss.” You whispered hoarsely, your voice not hiding an ounce of your emotion. Vince nodded and stepped back, those calculating eyes sweeping over your figure.

“Just one more assignment, child. One more, and it’s all yours.” 

“Anything.” Your response was stronger this time, your eyes holding a hope that hadn’t been there since you were a child. 

“A recent debtor repaid his debt. I need you to take care of it.” Vince’s words barely registered in your mind. All you could think of was your freedom. Then he pulled the cloth off of the box, and you realized it wasn’t a box at all.

It was a cage.

With a small gasp, your mind snapped back to this moment. The freedom you’d almost been able to taste came crashing down, and that horror roared in your soul so loudly that you actually stumbled back a step. 

There was a child in that cage, a little girl who looks to be the same age that you were all those years ago.

“But you…you stopped selling to the Trade,” Your voice was a breath, your words ringing with terror. 

“I did,” Vince conceded, stroking a hand along the cage’s bars and making the young girl in it recoil back as far as she could in the cramped space, “And my profits since have taken a steep drop. If I am to cement your future, I need to build up our reputation and savings again. I need to make sure every crime syndicate from here to the Outer Rim knows not to mess with us, with you.”

You were shaking your head, your heart racing and your mind fraying apart as if you hadn’t spent the entirety of your life fortifying it and trying desperately to forget. 

“I can’t,” You gasped, shaking your head and taking back a step, “I can’t-”

“Yes you can,” Vince soothed, stepping up to you and holding your arms, “You’re ready for this. Think of everything this could bring you.”

Oh you were. As you stared into that scared little girl’s eyes, it was all you could think about. You were stuck awfully between flashes of your abandonment and what your future would look like if you did this one last assignment. The loneliness in the empty house, the empire you could build. The hunger that had set in after a week alone, the security of always having another meal. The betrayal that had burrowed deep in your chest, the power you could fill its hole with. 

“She’s just another trade, a simple barter. Nothing more than the deed to a home.” Vince’s voice was an echo of your thoughts, the devil on your shoulder. 

It would be so easy, so easy. After everything that you had been through, why should you care how your safety and freedom was bought? You deserved it, your life has been anything but fair. It would be easy. One trade, and the world, the very galaxy, would be in the palm of your hands.

But would your soul ever recover? Would you ever be able to look at yourself in a mirror again? You knew what happened to little girls who went into the trade, for being in this business you knew all too well of the perversions of the people in this galaxy. 

Could you live with this? 

Vince saw the flash of an answer in your eyes a moment too late. 

The knife was already in your hand and thrown by the time Vince had just begun to open his mouth and shout for his guards. The knife lodged into his shoulder even though you’d been aiming for something more lethal. It was enough to stop him from rushing you, though. You sped forward and tackled him to the ground with every ounce of strength you had. His cry of pain was muffled by the hand you slapped over his mouth. In a quick move, you ripped the knife free from his shoulder and angled it at his throat. 

Vince went as silent as death, his eyes wide with betrayal, with…with hurt.

Your chest squeezed painfully at the look in his eyes as you moved your hand from covering his mouth. He didn’t scream, he knew better, “My child, I’ve given you the world.”

His words were choked with tears, you realized suddenly. To your surprise, tears of your own gathered in your eyes.

“I’m not your child,” You whispered, clenching your jaw to keep your resolve, “And I don’t want the world if this is what it costs.”

There was a flash of rage in his eyes, and it made your stomach drop. You’d seen it before, but never directed at you.

“You do this,” His words were calculated and controlled, barely veiling his growing anger, “And I will never stop hunting you. I will show you just what I spared you from when you were a child.”

Something broke within your chest at the thought, but for the first time since seven years old, you weren’t shoving down guilt to do something. You could feel your heart open and free, your soul resting for once, and you knew that this was what you had to do. You need to be able to live with yourself, even if it means you lived a short life. 

You are better than this, than everything you have done to survive. 

You aren’t a kid anymore. You have a choice.

“So be it,” You murmured, and then slammed the handle of the knife against Vince’s temple. He was out cold as soon as the blow was delivered, which was surprising in itself. That move had never worked before for you. You’re glad it had now, because as you stood and moved away from the magenta-skinned Crime Lord, you realized that this was freedom. 

You’re free now, and it was better than the freedom that you would have bought with the trading of your soul.

Without another thought to the consequences of your actions, you turned and sprinted over to the cage where the little girl sat crouched as far as she could in the corner. Her eyes were wide with fear and confusion and hope as she looked up at you. 

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” You soothed, stooping down in front of the cage and looking at the lock. 

Once you saw the shape of the key needed, you stood and jogged to Vince’s massive desk. It only took a few moments of searching before you snagged the key from under a stack of papers and forms. 

A knock sounded on the massive steel door, but it thankfully remained closed, “Everything alright in there?”

Your pulse spiked dangerously and your heart missed a beat. 

“Everything’s fine, lackeys,” You responded coolly, almost sounding bored, “Vince had to grab something from his chambers.”

This seemed to placate them, and you’re relieved that Vince’s chambers are attached to his office through a door at the very back. Knowing time was running out, you sprinted to the cage and crouched once more. Your fingers trembled as you undid the lock and threw the door open. The girl sat pressed into the far corner, and you let out a panicked breath as you extended a hand out to her.

“Come on, kid. We don’t have much time left.”

She examined your hand for an agonizingly long moment before realizing you weren’t going to hurt her. To your relief, she quickly took your outstretched hand and crawled out as fast as she could. You kept her hand in yours and tugged her towards the door at the back wall that leads to Vince’s room.

“How are we going to get out?” She mumbled. You pressed the button beside the door and it slid open easily, revealing a room of black silk and deep emerald walls. Tugging the girl in, you shut the door and made sure to press the lock button before pulling her towards the wall beside Vince’s bed.

You released her hand for a moment as you approached the massive painting that rested on the wall. Your fingers searched the edges desperately until they found a small button.

“Vince showed this to me when I was your age,” You panted, pushing the button and swinging the painting aside, “He kept it for a quick escape if the compound was ever raided.”

A large, dark hole was in the wall behind the painting—a chamber that led directly to the back of the compound. The young girl shook her head slightly, her eyes going wide as she peered into the dark reaches of the cavernous chamber.

“I can’t,” She whispered, her voice trembling, “It’s too scary, I can’t. I-”

Before you could even console her, the sound of a fist pounding on the steel door to the office in the other room echoed through the walls, “Boss, you in there? What’s going on?”

Your heart nearly stopped and you knew the guards, as stupid as they were, would notice the silence soon enough. Swirling back to the young girl, you did not wait for her response before you hoisted her into your arms and put her into the escape passageway. Thankfully, the girl had the sense to remain quiet despite her obvious trepidation as she waited in the dark for you to climb in after her. Once you had, you closed the painting as quietly as you could just as you heard the office being raided. 

It was only a matter of time before they would see Vince unconscious and venture into his bedroom beyond. You had to move, and fast.

“Come on,” You urged, finding the girl’s hand in the dark and tugging her down the passageway. As you moved down a flight of stairs, you pressed the small button on your metal bracelet, releasing a soft glow of light bright enough to illuminate your next steps and banish the girl’s fear of the dark. 

“Will they find us?” She panted, her small hand gripping yours tightly. 

“They shouldn’t,” You replied, your eyes straining into the dark beyond the small glow of your bracelet as you took turns and twists and more passages to the depths of the compound, “Vince only told me about the passage.”

Even though that should have eased the girl’s tension, her grip on your hand did not relax. It took a few minutes of deep silence before she finally spoke again. 

“You really were his favorite,” She breathed, a certain tremor in her voice. You could practically feel the weight of her large eyes burning into the side of your face.

For some reason, her words knocked you on your ass. This young girl knew who Vince Hanon was before she was taken by him, and she knew enough to have heard about you. Was this how the galaxy saw you? As Vince Hanon’s adopted daughter?

The thought made you shudder.

“Why did you betray him for me?” She asked into the thick silence, and a pang shot through your chest.

Your feet faltered, and you stopped the breakneck pace you’d been going at. With a trembling breath, you turned and looked back at the young child. The light from your bracelet lit up the contours of her face, the tear stains etched into her skin and the trauma haunting her young, innocent gaze.

“Because I was you a long time ago.” You swallowed, sudden tears swimming in your gaze as you took in the small child who nearly met such a cruel fate, “Because Vince saved me, and there was no one to save you.”

The words stung some deep, confused part of your chest. A part of you would always…be indebted to Vince. He was the holder of your chains, the destroyer of your moral compass, the tyrant of your life. But, no matter how much you tried to forget it, he saved you. He saved you when your own father would not, and he raised you as his own. 

Some twisted part of you would always pity him, even though you knew you shouldn’t.

That’s why, without a word, you smiled sadly at the girl before turning and leading her the rest of the way out of the passage.

|||

The entire city was on high alert. 

Moments after the girl and you emerged from the escape passageway and into a back alley miles from the compound, you heard the shouts and the sirens in the distance. Vince had run this city with an iron fist, he did not tolerate betrayal and the people knew that. But now, the King of Crime had been crossed by his own Prodigy.

Every goon he had working for him was now hunting for you.

Doors were shut and windows locked. The streets were empty and the last few stragglers were in no rush to speak to anyone they did not have to. Even now, only a few minutes after the crime had been announced publicly, Vince’s guards swarmed the streets, pounding on doors and demanding entry for searches.

“They’re everywhere,” The young girl you saved panted as you sprinted with her down back alleys and through abandoned shops, “Where will we go?”

“I still have some friends,” You assured in response, stopping suddenly at the back door of a normal, unassuming home miles down from where Vince’s guards were searching. Without pausing to explain to the girl, you pounded your fist desperately against the door. There was a rush of steps before an old, hoarse voice called out.

“We are closed to visitors right now. Come back later.”

“It’s me,” Is all you said in response. 

The old fashioned door swung open almost instantly. You had to squint against the sudden flood of light until you could just make out the older woman who stood in the doorway peering down at you and the girl with calculating eyes. She swung her gaze between the terrified child and you before she finally let out a long sigh. 

“You finally did it,” She mused, catching your gaze with a knowing look. 

“He asked something of me I couldn’t do,” You informed, trying to sound detached even though your entire heart was upon your sleeve, “And I need your help.”

Behind the old woman, children zoomed back and forth of all species and ages. They laughed and played jovially, unaware of the chaos outside. This place was an Orphanage, one you visited quite often with what little money you had left after Vince’s paychecks. You never allowed the Orphanage Keeper to tell you her name for her own sake, but she’d made it clear that she would be at your service should you ever need it.

You needed it now.

The Keeper looked down at the young girl who still held your hand in a tight grip and hummed, “She’ll fit right in, the guards won’t even know the difference.”

Relief broke over you, and you turned from The Keeper to stoop down in front of the confused child. 

“What’s happening?” The young girl interrogated, her voice quivering.

“This place is safe for you, The Orphanage Keeper will take good care of you. She’ll make sure you find a home and lead a normal life.”

She caught on to your tone quickly, realizing you were going to leave her here. She began to shake her head and back up from the doorway, “No, you can’t leave me. Please don’t leave me!”

Your heart shattered. Those words had haunted your own soul since you were just as old as she is. They’ve bounced around in your memories in ways you’ll never be able to put into words. To hear them come from her…Tears you did not try to hide fought their way to your gaze as you grasped the young girl’s shoulders.

“They won’t look for you, they’ll be too busy hunting me. As long as you’re near me, you will not be safe,” You explained, smiling sadly at the girl and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, “We’ll see each other again, I just know it”

The girl sniffled, but nodded and slowly stepped away from you. The Keeper smiled down at the child, extending her hand, “Come, little one. Go on inside, I’ll be in soon to show you where you’ll be staying.”

With one last look back at you, the young girl turned and walked into the Orphanage. You stood slowly, watching her retreat into the building of laughing children. When she didn’t look back to you after that, you knew that she’d survive, that she’d make it. 

“I have a ship. It’s old and hasn’t been run in ages, but it’ll get you off-world.”The Keeper’s rushed words snapped you back to reality and you looked up at her. Nodding, you ran a hand through your hair and gathered yourself back together. 

“Don’t go to the Outer Rim,” The Keeper continued, rummaging through the small compartment by the door before she pulled out a small bag, “He’ll look there first. Try Coruscant, it’s swarming with New Republic. Vince wouldn’t dare go there.”

You nodded swiftly, your mind swimming with the rising surrealness of the perilous situation. Before you could turn and leave into the dark of night, The Keeper stepped forward and pressed the small bag into your palm. With furrowed brows, you looked down to your hand to inspect the small gift. Realizing exactly what was inside, you gazed back up at the woman sharply with wide eyes.

“You can’t give this to me, I can’t take this. It’s too much,” You rambled, trying to push the bag of credits back to The Keeper. She simply closed her weathered hands around yours and pushed the bag back towards you with a smile.

“This does not even begin to make up for all of the support you’ve given me over the years,” She rasped, tears glistening in her eyes as she realized exactly what you already know. 

This was goodbye. You would not see her again. 

“Thank you,” You breathed, knowing if you spoke any louder you'd be choking on tears. You were thanking The Orphanage Keeper for more than the credits in your hand. Through the years, no matter what horrors you committed for Vince and his gang, this Orphanage always reminded you of the light that still flickered in your soul. It reminded you that you were good. 

“May the Force be with you,” The Keeper blessed, and your heart squeezed at the unfamiliar words. 

“And with you.”

Then you turned and ran into the night, leaving behind the light of the Orphanage and its Keeper for good. It wasn’t long before you made it to the ship The Keeper told you about, and it’s even less time before you’re shooting up into the atmosphere and leaving the planet behind. As you set the ship’s coordinates to Coruscant, your mind raced. 

How far will Vince go to get you back? To repay your betrayal in blood as you knew he would? 

Before you could even come up with an answer of your own, the bracelet on your wrist beeped with an incoming message. You extended your hand out before you, brows furrowed and pulse slowly picking up. The hologram that lit up in your palm knocked the breath from your lungs and sent your heart into a dangerous rhythm. 

The crackling hologram was simple and straightforward, projected not directly towards you, but to every known crime syndicate member and bounty hunter. 

It was a picture of your face, your lips turned up at the very edge in the beginning of a smile. The words below sealed your fate.

“Y/N Y/L/N—WANTED ALIVE

BOUNTY—2 MILLION NEW REPUBLIC CREDITS”

|||

The wind cracked like a whip against your skin as you ran. 

“You can’t run forever!” The shrill, sardonic shout of the Hunter made your fear spike as you sprinted through the crowded streets of Coruscant.

You would think that a New Republic-crowded planet like this one would mean at least one bystander extended their help as you so clearly ran for your life. Even these citizens and their senators knew the price of your bounty, though, and they did not raise a finger to help you. 

Probably the entire force of the Guild was after you considering how high Vince was willing to pay to get you back. With that high a bounty, odds were that no one was going to help you.

This particular Hunter was alone, a grateful difference from the last few that had come after you. Most had decided to come in groups and split the bounty, which made them much more difficult to elude considering you weren’t the stealthiest person alive. 

You ran desperately through the crowd that parted for you. Eventually you’d have to go back into the peril of open, abandoned areas, so you took advantage of the crowd as much as you could. You could see the end of the crowd in the distance, though, and knew that it was only a matter of time before the chase was just you and the Hunter and a stretch of open space between.

As you shoved through the last of the crowd that had kept the Hunter from firing his stun shots, you heard his voice ring out through the air, “No more hiding, sweetheart!”

Your eyes scanned desperately for another way out, for an escape plan or any plan really. Not having much of a choice, you took a hard right and sprinted into an alley. As a show to your incredibly bad luck, you found it to be a dead end. 

“Shit!” You panted, turning so fast on your heel that your shoes groaned against the pavement. You stumbled to a quick halt as you found the panting Bounty Hunter blocking your way out. 

“Vince Hanon wants you alive,” He mused, a slow smile spreading across his lips, “He didn’t say how alive.”

The Hunter raised his stun blaster and fired, but you’re expecting it and have already dive-rolled to the side. The shot soared past you, crackling as it did, and you wasted no time to see how close it came before you were on your feet and charging at the Hunter. With a war cry, you shoved the Hunter with your entire body weight before he could get another shot out. He grunted as he crashed into the wall, leaving the exit open for you to sprint out. 

You did so with a pounding heart, your mind racing to come up with as many plans as you can. You raced down the sparsely populated street, your mind speeding for a solution. 

If I can just make it into an outlet, then I-

A crackling fire erupted in your back and exploded across the entirety of your body. With a cry of pain, you dropped to the floor and could barely move your head to see the blue energy crackling across your being. Your body convulsed under the stun shot, momentarily paralyzed. 

No. No, no, no, no. This can’t be it.

The pounding of footsteps slowed as they approached your downed form. You looked up in rage and terror at the Bounty Hunter. He shoved his blaster back into its holster and shook his head down at you.

“What a pity,” He uttered, smiling that slick, nauseating smile again, “I was going to take it easy on you. But now?”

You thought quickly of everything you could offer the Hunter that was more valuable than two million credits. Desperation rang through you as you came up empty. 

“Please,” Your voice shook pathetically at the last attempt to save yourself, and tears gathered in your eyes. You could feel your body slowly come back under your control and you slid back and away from the Hunter. You hated this, you hated begging for your life. 

I can’t go back, was all you could think, I can’t let him have me again.

“I like it when you beg,” The Hunter mused, walking ever so slowly towards your downed, retreating form. He was taunting you, and you both knew it. 

When he finally reached you, he crouched and grabbed you by your legs, sliding you towards him. 

“No!” You bellowed, thrashing wildly in his grip as he pinned you with his weight, “You bastard! Let me go!” 

All sense and reason had left you. Begging wasn’t going to work and it only made him happier, so you wouldn’t try it again. All you had left was a burning terror in your gut of what would happen if Vince got you back. So, you fought the Hunter with all of the fire you had left. 

The first slam of his fist into your cheek made blood spray from your now-busted lip. He couldn’t secure both of your hands in time to stop you from clawing at his face. You couldn’t fight well, but you could do that. His shout of pain was music to your ears, but he quickly secured your fists with one hand and continued his onslaught with the other.

“Stupid bitch,” He panted between hits, making stars dance in your vision, “Barely worth the two million���

Those words shouldn’t have wounded you, but you couldn't stop the hurt that exploded in your chest. With unbridled emotions, you spit a mouthful of blood up at the Hunter. He reared back in disgust, wiping your blood off of his face and peering down at you in pure hate.

“Just for that,” Is all he said as he pulled out the stun blaster. Your eyes widened a fraction and you could barely turn your cheek to brace for impact when the sound of a blaster exploded through the air.

But it never hit you. 

Suddenly, the weight of the Hunter on you slid off and you turned your head up to see him crumpling to the ground with a burning hole in his chest. 

Pure dumb luck. 

Hope bursted through you as you scrambled to your feet and delivered an extra kick to the corpse, spitting more of your blood down on him before wiping it off your mouth with the back of your hand. You glanced up, looking around curiously for the one who fired and saved you. 

Your gratitude died when your eyes found him. 

The world slowed to an almost stop as panic, real and true, constricted your chest. Shining, dark silver beskar gleamed at you in the burning afternoon sunlight. He stood like an angel of death not thirty paces from you. You knew who he was, everyone knew who he was in your line of work.

The Mandalorian. Perhaps the best Bounty Hunter in the Guild, and the most ruthless.

He wasn’t saving you, he was taking your bounty for himself. 

You stumbled back, your entire body aching but your mind screaming at you to go, run!

The Mandalorian began to stalk towards you and you turned, breaking out into a desperate run. You could only limp, though, and you knew he’d be upon you before you could stop him. You glanced back as you continued your pathetic excuse for a run, and your heart missed a beat when you saw he had almost caught up to you. Turning your head back forward, tears swam in your vision. 

No, your mind repeated again and again and again, No, no, no

You couldn’t outrun him, you couldn’t outsmart him, you couldn’t overpower him. You were done. You were done, and the desperation in your chest revealed that you knew it.

Your exhaustion almost overpowered your adrenaline and you stumbled into the wall of a nearby building, bracing yourself against it as you tried to keep moving. Practically feeling his domineering presence behind you, your eyes searched the building’s edge for a weapon. The best you could find was an abandoned speeder wrench. You grasped the long tool in your trembling hand and whipped around, swinging the wrench with all of the strength you had left. 

Your heart faltered as the Mandalorian caught your wrist with ease, looking down at you with that emotionless, daunting helmet of beskar. His grip was tight, but not bruising, on your wrist, and you dropped the wrench. You watched his free hand grab a small device on his weapons belt, and you knew immediately it was some sort of stunning device similar to the other Hunter’s.

“Don’t do this.” You knew your plea fell on deaf ears, but you had to try, “Please don’t do this, I can’t go back.”

His head tilted down at you, but he didn't say a word. The warmth of his hand seeped through the gloves he wore and burned into your skin as he held your wrist. A tear slipped down your cheek, searing its path across your skin. You could feel yourself give up. 

You’d been running alone for nearly a week and had barely slept a combined total of three hours. Your body couldn’t take anymore, your soul can’t take anymore. 

“Just kill me,” You suddenly begged, another tear slipping down, “If you’re gonna bring me in, just kill me. Please kill me, please.”

This seemed to stun the Mandalorian, because his grip on your wrist loosened slightly. The hand holding the stun device stalled and you heard him take in a breath.

“What?” The word was so simple and so low that you almost missed it, but the rumble of his gruff, modulated voice struck to your very chest. There was something in that voice…something you couldn’t quite place. 

Something that made you think he might honor your request, that he might listen. 

“Kill me,” You pleaded again, bringing the hand he didn’t hold to press against his beskar chest plate, “Don’t let him have me alive, I’d rather die. Please kill me,”

There was a charge in the air between you two that confused you, and you blamed it on the delusions your panic was causing. With his hand still holding your wrist and your hand on the cool metal plating his chest, you practically leaned all of your exhausted weight onto him. You could barely stand anymore, and you shut your eyes, turning your head and waiting for his killing blow. 

Death was better than Vince Hanon. 

You waited and waited and waited, but the blow never came. 

“I’m not going to kill you,” The Mandalorian murmured, his voice like gravel and deceivingly soothing to your soul. Pure desperation makes another tear slip down your cheek as you open your eyes that are so, so tired. 

“No,” Is all you could make out, lifting your exhausted gaze to his helmet. 

“I’m not gonna turn you in, either.”

His words sent a shot of confusion through your soul. 

“What?” You breathed, your brows furrowed. 

“I won’t turn you in,” The Mandalorian repeated, his voice sounding just as confused as you, but with an edge of a vow that made you believe him. 

“Thank you,” You mumbled, the adrenaline that had kept you awake for nearly an entire week seeping out of your system, “Thank you”

It probably was not smart, but you couldn’t stop your body from giving in to the need to sleep. You collapsed, your eyes slipping shut and your mind already shutting down into that blissful abyss of rest. As your body slipped to the floor, you felt strong, warm arms catch you. Suddenly, you felt yourself being lifted and pressed into cool metal. 

“I’ve got you,” The Mandalorian vowed, his voice uncertain but his soul remembering what it felt like trying to turn in the Child when he first hunted him down, “I’ve got you.”

The Mandalorian held your sleeping form close to his chest as he walked past the outskirts of the busy Coruscant town and near the shipyard where the Crest awaits. To be completely honest, he didn’t know what he was doing. He needed those credits, and it had been all too easy to find you considering how many Hunters were on your trail. 

Din stood there in the shadows of an alleyway, watching that Hunter take you down and approach your convulsing body. He watched with a blaster raised, ready to take the Hunter out and then claim your bounty instead. Din watched as you fought like a hellcat to be free, watched you spit your blood up at the Hunter. 

When he took out the Hunter, he wasn’t entirely sure if he’d done it to claim your bounty himself or save your life.

As he followed your limping form easily, not even having to run to catch up with you, he was so sure he’d collect your bounty. He had convinced himself he would, even after that familiar nagging of his conscience began. 

Then Din caught you, and you begged for death. 

Never before had a bounty done that, at least if he didn’t torture them for information first. Yet here you were, begging for death. Din had felt like a sort of Reaper as you sobbed and pleaded for your end, and suddenly he could not understand how the Reaper managed to fulfill those pleas. 

In that moment, peering into your tear-filled eyes and seeing the desperation, the fear that wasn’t directed at him, Din couldn’t do it. He couldn't kill you, and he sure as hell couldn't turn you in to Vince Hanon.

So now here he was, carrying you to his ship with the intent of helping you escape. 

It was stupid, Din knew that. He shouldn’t be doing this, he should have left you there on the street to fend for yourself. This wasn’t his problem. You weren’t his problem.But he just couldn’t. It was his biggest weakness, and everyone knew it. First with the kid, and now with you. Even now he couldn’t think of leaving you to fend for yourself, not as he looked down at your sleeping form cuddled into his chest as if you had never been held before.

Maybe you hadn’t, just as he hadn’t in a long while. 

Ultimately, that was why Din let you cling to him in your oblivious sleep when he would have shoved almost anyone else off.

And it was in that moment that Din Djarin knew he was screwed.

|||

When you woke up, you didn’t recognize your room. 

For a moment you stayed perfectly still, knowing that your memories would supplement the answer eventually. As you sat up slowly, you took in the cot you lay upon in the small room. 

A ship, you determined. 

That’s when the events of when you were awake came rushing back—the Bounty Hunter on Coruscant, nearly getting caught, the Mandalorian. 

The Mandalorian…saving your life. 

Why would a Bounty Hunter save you? 

Instantly, doubt began to creep into your mind. Reason took over for desperation now that you were rested and in a Bounty Hunter’s ship. The Mandalorian was one of the best in the Guild, he would have said anything to get you onto his ship. He had to be on his way to Vince right now. 

With a wary mind, you got off of the bed slowly. You tried to be as silent as possible, but failed horribly, as you crept out of the small room you were just sleeping in. As the door to the room slid open, you were met with the hull of a ship. It was relatively clean, but had small clusters of scrap metal and assorted belongings in corners of the room. To your right, as you glanced up, was a ladder leading to what had to be the cockpit. 

He was probably up there right now. 

Your breath was shallow, but you took your time to scan the ship warily. You paused upon a good-sized metal cabinet in the back. If there were any weapons in this ship, that’s where they would be. You walked up to the cabinet quietly, looking back towards the ladder to make sure the Mandalorian wasn’t coming down. As your fingers reached towards it, your mind was racing with plans. 

You’d never beat him in any sort of combat, but if you could sneak up and surprise-

A choked gasp broke out of your mouth as a strong hand grabbed your shoulder and flipped you around. In an instant, you were pressed up against the metal cabinet with a beskar-coated arm barring your throat hard enough to keep you in place, but not enough to cut off your air supply. 

“You really think that was gonna work?” He ground out, cocking his head down at you. Your chest was heaving with breath as you looked up at him, desperately trying to look tough. 

“Did you really think I was going to let you deliver me to Vince without a fight?” You rasped back, your eyes lit with fire as you stared into the abyss of that beskar helmet. 

“Deliver you to-” The Mandalorian stopped his sentence, sounding almost disgruntled as his arm loosened at your throat, “I told you I wouldn’t. I keep my promises.”

“How do I know that?” You countered, suddenly trying to ignore the burning heat of his arm against your throat, even with his armor in the way, “How do I know you’re not gonna say anything to keep me docile before delivering me to him?”

The Mandalorian stopped for a moment, but even as he did your words felt wrong. A part of you, deep within your chest, knew you could trust him. But you were raised to trust no one, so you ignored the intuition and stood your ground.

There was a thick silence as you waited for his response, but it was anything but silent. You were all too aware of how close his body was pressed to yours, of the heat that radiated off of him and the charge in the air. 

“If I wanted to turn you into Vince Hanon, you’d already be there,” The Mandalorian finally reasoned, stepping back from you and dropping his arm as if he too realized the intimacy of your position, “You slept for two and a half days, you can check if you think I’m lying.”

A part of you wanted to check just to spite him, but as much as you hated to admit it, you believed him. You stayed with your back against the metal cabinet and observed the Bounty Hunter.

“Where are we going, then?” You inquired, the skepticism heavy in your tone. 

“Serenno.” His reply was short and clipped, but you still visibly reacted.

“Serenno?” You retorted, already shaking your head, “That’s Outer Rim. I won’t-”

The Mandalorian cut you off, taking only one menacing step towards you, but it was enough to make your words die.

“You tried the populated, New Republic planet and obviously that didn’t work for you. Vince probably has men crawling through that sector now, so the Outer Rim is our best bet.”

Our? The word came off of his tongue so naturally that it struck a chord deep in your chest. “I was advised to stay away from there. Vince has men patrolling for me there. Why would it be any better now?” You cut back. 

“Because now you have me.” 

He didn’t raise his voice, didn[t even sound pissed off, but there was something in his words that sent a chill running down your spine. An arrogant man would say those words carelessly, and you knew exactly what it sounded like coming from them. But The Mandalorian? He wasn’t arrogant. He was sure, and for reasons you didn’t want to unpack just yet, it made your heart miss half of a beat. 

“If you’re gonna make it out of this, you have to trust me,” He followed up. You almost laugh.

“That’s not happening,” You quipped, but your eyes told a different story. You didn’t want to stroke his ego by telling him that he was already the most trustworthy person you’d met in years. “How are we going to make it out of this anyway?”

There it was again. We. Why had you said ‘we’?

“Only one way that I see,” The Mandalorian responded, turning from you and walking over to a corner of junk on his ship, “Kill Vince Hanon.”

He said it so casually, but it didn/t stop the words from choking you from within. That should have sat easily with you considering what he had almost made you do before you betrayed him. And yet, after everything, you couldn’t fully convince yourself you’d land a final blow if the time came. 

There was a long silence, one that indicated the conversation was over. The Mandalorian turned to the ladder, ready to go back up to the Cockpit when you called out to him suddenly, almost desperately.

“Why are you helping me?”

He paused, his back to you as it had been for the last few minutes. He turned his head slightly in your direction, but didn't turn around. 

“I don’t know,” He grunted out, then turned and went up the ladder.

He was lying, you knew it the second he spoke. Vince trained you to see tells, and you could see them even through his helmet. You didn’t have time to ponder why he really was helping you when another door near to the one you were sleeping in slid open. 

You turned towards the noise, confusion and wariness springing up in your gut. You hadn’t known he had a crew, you had just assumed it was him alone in this ship. 

So, considering that, surprise isn’t quite the right word to describe what flashed through you when you watched a child walk out of the room.

“What the-” You breathed, your words dying out on your own as the small, green toddler stopped outside of his room and looked up at you with massive, dark eyes. 

Before you could even call out to the Mandalorian, you hear a rushed curse followed by the thud of his feet slamming against the ship’s flooring as he jumped from the ladder. Suddenly, the beskar-coated Bounty Hunter is storming over and scooping the child up into his massive arms. 

“What are you doing out, kid?” He scolded softly, but even you could hear the tenderness in his voice—the mark of a father. At least, what you imagined a father would be like.

The child tilted his head up at the daunting, death-bringing Mandalorian and smiled, reaching out with his tiny hands out to the Hunter. You could hear The Mandalorian sigh in resignation, tucking the child close into his body, “You make it hard to be mad at you, kid. You know that?”

Watching this angel of Death, the Hunter who almost became your reaper, cuddle a small child to his chest with those hands scarred with blood and murder…you could feel your heart melting.

You knew instantly that you were in trouble, serious trouble. 

The Mandalorian turned to you, holding the child close, “It seems I have a knack for sparing the bounties I’m given.”

Surprise skittered across your face as you took in the meaning in his words. Any small amount of doubt in your safety with this Mandalorian suddenly dissipated into ash. You’d never tell the Hunter that, but you couldn’t deny that his word was good. He said was going to help you, and that’s what he was going to do. 

“Cute kid,” You managed to get out, not being able to stop the smile that grew onto your lips, “He’s lucky to have you for a father.”

The daunting, ever-stoic Mandalorian suddenly seemed to grapple with his words, and it takes more effort than you’d like to admit to keep the amused smile on your lips from turning into a laugh. 

“I’m not his blood, I’m just watching out for him.” He finally settled on. 

Something haunted and broken suddenly speared into your chest, and you knew from the way the Mandalorian’s back stiffened and head tilted that it passed across your face. With a smile that’s sad and built with years of heartache, you locked your gaze with the Bounty Hunter that spared you.

“A father isn’t always bound by blood,” You nearly whispered, breaking away from his gaze and reaching up to run a soft, caressing finger across the child’s large ear. He giggled, leaning into your touch. You smiled wider, this one less sad than before. 

“He’s a lot to handle isn’t he?” You asked. The Mandalorian stiffened, seeming defensive. 

“No. He’s actually-”

“I was talking about you, Mando,” You interrupted, looking away from the kid’s large eyes and up to the Mandalorian with a raised brow. He cocked his head down at you.

“Careful, I can still turn this ship around and take you to Vince,” He threatened, but you knew now that he never would. Somehow, you just knew that. 

“Sure you will,” You taunted, smiling up at him before taking a step back from the kid who reached after you, “What’s your name anyways, Mandalorian? Or am I expected to call you Mando for the rest of our lovely time together?”

“Why would I give you that?” He asked, his voice like gravel and silk all at once. He was a siren and you were a sailor—blissfully doomed from the start.

“Because you already have mine,” You reasoned, alluding to the bounty he took on you, “It’s only fair.”

He paused for a moment that stretched on long enough for you to know that he wasn’t going to give it. You nodded in response, clicking your tongue “Mando it is.”

You turned, walking towards the ladder that led up to the cockpit. You made it up a few rungs when his voice stopped you.

“Din.”

You froze, taking a few seconds to comprehend what he just said. With your back to him, you didn’t stop the smile that grew onto your lips. 

“Thanks for saving my ass, Din,” You called back, before continuing up the ladder. It was so soft that you almost missed it, but Din chuckled quietly to himself below. The sound traveled down your spine and turned your heart molten.

You definitely were in trouble. 

Then again, you always loved trouble anyways. 

|||

The sun hung low in the sky, slinging the last of its light across the tops of mountains and through the lush rainforests stretching between the settlements of Serenno. As you and Din left the Razor Crest in a clearing and trekked towards a nearby city, there was a smile you could not stop from breaking free.

It wasn’t long lasting, for the moment the illusion of peace settled over your shoulders, the Mandalorian’s words were quick to remind you of the truth.

“Stay close to me. Don’t wander off, don’t go anywhere on your own. Keep your eyes open, and if you see anything tell me.” His voice was low and even and perhaps the most daunting sound you’d ever encountered. There was something so dangerous in the smooth, controlled tone modulated by his mask. It almost made you nod in easy compliance. 

“I think you’re forgetting I’m used to this life, Mando,” You insisted, walking harder than you’d like to admit to keep up with his pace as the two of you entered the city, “I don’t need you controlling my every step. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Yeah? That worked out so well for you on Coruscant.” Din fired back at you, his voice not even ratcheting up in volume an inch. He didn’t even look over at you as he sauntered down the main street of the city. As the two of you walked, every stare that slipped your way left just as swiftly when they caught sight of the Mandalorian. 

“I survived longer on my own than most would. I’m not saying I don’t need your help, just that I’m not a child for you to boss around.” 

That seemed to strike a chord in his chest as he suddenly stopped and grabbed ahold of your arm, tugging you to a stop so abruptly that you stumbled right into him. Din steadied you with a hand on either arm, holding you so close that you had to crane your neck up to meet his unflinching helmet peering down at you.

“You think you can make it without me? Go ahead, leave.” He growled, finally showing a touch of emotion in his voice. You lifted your chin to meet his gaze, trying to ignore that way your heart could not seem to find an easy rhythm this close to Din. His words sent ice shooting through your chest, but much to your surprise, you found fire dancing up to tangle with it. You didn’t know whether to be intimidated or infatuated with him in this moment, and that thought was what jolted you back to reality. You stayed silent in response, because you knew the truth.

You would be dead within hours without the Mandalorian.

“That’s what I thought,” Din gritted out, his eyes sweeping over your figure for another moment before he let you go and began to walk away, “Now come on. We need supplies.”

You followed hastily, your eyes scanning the city for signs of hunters tracking you. As you struggled to think of anything besides the impact of Din’s words on you, Din stormed as far ahead of you as he could without leaving you completely behind. All the while, Din was trying to shove down the relief that you hadn’t taken his words seriously and left. The words had come out of his mouth, but within, Din had been begging you to see through the lie that they already were. 

What terrified Din most was that he had practically just met you and yet he knew exactly what you could become to him should he not be careful. It was a fact that was hard to ignore when he looked at you and realized that you were the sun and him the moon—a mere reflection of the beauty before him. 

Din shook his head to rid the thought, but to no avail. Instead, he grew grumpier and tried to increase the space between the two of you.

Trying to diffuse the tension, you jogged up to stay close to the Mandalorian and sighed, “So, what do we need to get?”

“Food, blankets, ammunition, anything else we’ll need to camp out here for a while,” Din responded. And, without even looking over at you, he spoke again.

“And we need to get you new clothes.”

You scoffed in surprise, looking down at your bloody and torn clothes. He was right, but it didn’t make you any less angry about it. You stormed after him, your fists clenched. 

“You’re one to talk, Mando.” You retorted, catching up to him in time to hear his low chuckle. Immediately, your poor, unknowing heart stumbled at the sound and you found yourself once again, unable to be angry with the Bounty Hunter. 

“That was a joke,” You realized, looking over at Din with surprised eyes, “Since when do you make jokes?”

He didn’t respond to that, just kept leading the way deeper into the town, “Get a move on, trouble. Can’t spend too long in town considering your luck.”

You followed with a small smile on your lips. It took hours to gather all that you needed to camp out on Serenno, and when Din finally began to turn and head back to the Crest, you almost cried in relief. Your arms ached with all of the wares you helped carry, and you were well past the exit of the city when Din finally began to explain to you the plan.

“We’ll hide out here for now. It’s quiet enough,” He assured, the Razor Crest coming into view as the two of you delved into the dense rainforest just before the clearing where it was parked, “Once we come up with a solid plan to take out Vince, we’ll move.”

Once again, the notion of ‘taking out’ the Zeltron who raised you struck you harder than it should have. You were able to hide it earlier, but as you exited the last of the trees obscuring the Crest, Din did not miss the way you went uncharacteristically silent. He didn’t say anything at first, and you thought he might let it go. As the two of you boarded the Crest and dropped the supplies onto the floor, the kid walked out of the room his crib sat in and looked up at you with wide, excited eyes. You couldn’t help but smile. 

“Hello there,” You cooed, stooping down and picking him up, “Glad to see you missed me already.”

The child giggled in response, babbling some nonsense that you couldn’t quite understand. You felt the Mandalorian’s presence before you saw him, especially with how the attention of the child immediately switched to over your shoulder. You turned, not even meeting Din’s stare as you handed him his kid. The little one went happily, grabbing onto his caretaker as if he were anything but a feared Bounty Hunter. You smiled at the child before turning and walking with the clothes Din had bought you to your makeshift room to change. Before you could make it in, though, his voice called out to you.

“You don’t want to kill him.” Not a question, a statement. 

So much for that.

Confliction tearing through you, you turned around and faced the Mandalorian and his child once again. Your eyes darted from the Mandalorian’s beskar helmet to the small child he held so close in his arms, and then back again. You could do little to hide the brokenness lingering in your gaze.

“I know it’s wrong,” You whispered, not fully understanding why you were being so vulnerable with this stranger, “I hate him. It should be easy to want him dead. It would solve all of my problems. But…”

The words you couldn’t say spoke just as loudly in silence as they would have in the air. 

For a moment, you feared Din would push the matter and force the truth of your past out. Instead, he sighed and set down the kid, “Get changed. I’ll have a meal ready when you’re done.”

And that was that. He turned and walked away, going to do as he said. You stared for a moment in surprise that quickly shifted into a deep gratitude that spilled into your aching chest cavity. Din hadn’t forced you to say anything. He’d seen you were uncomfortable and he had let it go. 

This Mandalorian was not who you thought he was, who he looked to be at first glance. With every passing day you spent with him, you realized your first impression could not have been further from the truth. With every day, you were proven more wrong about him in the best way possible.

And with every day, you wished you weren’t wrong at all. 

Because how were you supposed to leave him in the end if you kept finding reasons to want to stay? 

|||

It had now been weeks since you’d joined Din and the two of you had settled on Serreno. 

In order to continue funding living while the two of you grappled with the best way to stop Vince and his bounty on you, Din had taken up a few smaller, low-profile bounties. He was careful not to pick up anything too forward since Vince had most likely noted by now that the two of you were together considering the debacle of Coruscant all those weeks ago. 

And every time he went on a hunt, you found a way to join him. 

At first, it was surprisingly easy to convince the Mandalorian to let you accompany him on his hunt. You’d claimed it was for your safety and that it was best to be with him whenever you could. After the first few, though, Din grew reluctant to let you come. He now considered the hunts more dangerous than staying in the Crest with the Child. You were running out of excuses to go with him, because you would not dare tell him the truth. 

You wouldn’t dare to imagine the pity spreading across his face beneath that daunting mask that had become almost home to you when he found out the truth. In the time you’d spent together, you had fallen into a sort of routine. Wake up, plot and plan, go into town for hunts, execute those hunts. He’d taught you basic combat skills, his gloved hands leaving traces of fire where they corrected your form, and Din had even begun to eat in front of you, just lifting up the bottom of his mask to do so and allowing you to see his strong jaw and lips. 

Those lips would haunt you night after night in dreams you could no longer control. To put a long story short, you’d grown attached. Hopelessly attached. And now, you couldn't help but be terrified of him leaving and not returning. 

Just as your parents had all those years ago. 

The fear was irrational and you knew it. Din was a man of his word and he’d promised you he would see you through this bounty and so you knew that he would. And yet, with the attachment that had grown rather quickly between the two of you, so too grew a fear of losing someone you lo-

Your thoughts stalled on the next word, and with a bolt of butterfly-filled fear in your gut, you amended the word. 

Care for. A fear of losing someone you care for. 

After all, if your parents—the only people in the galaxy who were meant to love you unconditionally—could leave you, so could the Mandalorian. 

Your thoughts were once again interrupted by the sound of Din walking out of his chambers, adjusting a piece of his beskar armor. He struggled with the piece, cursing it out roughly beneath his breath as an amused smile traipsed onto your lips. 

“Need some help?” You called out, lifting an eyebrow at him. His gaze snapped to yours and he huffed.

“No,” He rumbled. You hummed, standing to your feet and walking over to him.

“Sure you don’t.” You did not wait for him to object as you grabbed his shoulders and shoved him down into a chair nearby and began to work on the beskar shoulder plate.

“I can do it,” Din informed rather defeatedly.

You laughed softly, “I know you can, big guy.”

Your fingers worked with the plate of metal until you realized he had strapped it on wrong. Swiftly and deftly, you removed it and were just about to replace it when you noticed a jagged cut in his shirt beneath. The cut revealed a patch of tanned skin with an equally long and jagged cut on it that was now red and inflamed. You sucked in a breath sharply.

“What the hell Din? Why didn’t you mention you got hurt on the hunt yesterday?” You pressed, quickly setting down the beskar plate and rushing for a med kit, “It’s probably infected by now!”

“I can barely feel it,” Din defended, but surprisingly stayed in the chair as you grabbed the kit you were looking for and jogged back over to him, “Besides, I was going to put some bacta spray on it later and-”

“Bacta, really?” You cut in, shaking your head at the bounty hunter, “Is that your solution to everything? Put bacta on it?”

He shrugged, “Worked so far.”

Shaking your head, you grumbled your disapproval as you peeled back his shirt to see the extent of the laceration on his arm. Noting that it wrapped around slightly to the front, you moved to stand before the seated Mandalorian to get a better access to the cut. As your fingers danced along the injury, his skin was impossibly hot to your touch. 

Because of a fever, you convinced yourself as you opened the med kit and looked around for a surface to set it down on. Noticing your search, Din patted his lap with his hand. 

The movement made you actually stutter for a moment. It was a harmless offer, but the sight of it sent shockwaves tumbling through you. With a clouded mind, you set down the med kit on his thigh on the side opposite to his injured arm. He kept the kit braced with his free hand as you stepped between his legs to get closer to his injured arm.

You wished you could say that you didn’t even notice the position as you began to apply disinfectant to the cut, but it seemed to be the only thing on your mind. Din’s body heat bolted into you with how close you were to him and the scent of his soap that still lingered along his body dizzied your mind and reminded you of star-filled nights and rustling trees. 

As you looked away from the injury and to the med kit, you grabbed the stitching needle and expertly began to suture his cut closed. You threaded the first stitch through his skin swiftly and without warning, making him suck in a sharp breath before you and instinctively grab onto your lower waist with the hand not bracing the med kit. 

You gasped softly at the unexpected contact and looked down, an apologetic look crossing your distracted, breathless features, “Sorry, should’ve warned you.”

Din shook his head, clearing his throat, “No, I’m good. Keep going.”

Yet his hand lingered on your waist. 

As you began to stitch up his cut, every free part of your mind was centered on that large, strong hand that rested ever so lightly on your waist. When you were about halfway through the stitch, the tense silence was finally broken.

“Where did you learn how to do all this?” Mando asked, his voice sounding ever so slightly strained. 

“Whenever Vince’s fighters would come back from missions, I’d help patch them up where I could. Our healer trained me in a few vital skills while he worked,” You narrated, your voice airy and light as your fingers worked with the needle, “I was always good with the difficult cases because I’d tell them stories while we worked and it kept them distracted. I never could fight well, but I sure as hell could talk.”

“I know you can,” Din mumbled, making a surprised laugh break through you. You looked down at him, peering into the dark reaches of his beskar helmet that looked up at you.

“Careful teasing me, Mando. I’m the one with a needle in your arm.”

He released a low, soft laugh and his hand on your waist tightened the smallest bit. That was the end of the conversation, but it was the beginning of something else entirely. No longer did your attraction live chiefly in your dreams plagued with beskar and a voice so alluring it haunted you. You were awake, and you were sure you’d never been awake until this moment.

It was too much—the attraction, the tension, the dependency you were beginning to build up for him. 

Din Djarin was like the hit of a drug or a breath of sweet air or the touch of nectar to the tongue—now that you’d known him, felt him, heard his laugh, you could never want for anything but him and it would never be enough until you had more.

“All done,” You whispered, putting the med kit back together and closing it. With the wound dressed and his beskar plate in place, Din stood from his perch before you could step back. The hand he had at your waist stayed there for a moment, keeping you from running away. 

With his hulking presence before you and the way he peered down at you silently through his beskar helmet, you nearly forgot your own name. Your breaths were shallow and your heart raced in its cage of bones. Standing there, looking up at Din with your chest almost touching his, you knew. 

You knew that when this was over, you couldn’t leave him. You wouldn’t leave him. You were suddenly unaware of how you’d gone the entirety of your life without him, let alone how you’d continue it after this was over. You felt as if Din was tethered to the breath in your lungs, the beat of your heart, the firing of your thoughts. 

And for the life of you, you could not figure out how such a deep, ardent connection had taken root in your soul for someone you’d only known for a few months. It did not make sense, and somehow that was the beauty of it. These feelings were not explainable or rational, they were anything but. And that thrilled you just as much as it made you frightened that he’d walk out the door just like your parents had.

You wouldn’t recover from it this time. 

“Din-”

You were cut off by the sound of the small, green child waddling up to the two of you and babbling something you could not understand. As if a knife had quartered down the moment between Din and you, the both of you stepped back instantly. His hands left your waist and yet you could still feel the phantom of their touch. 

Din sighed as he stooped down and gathered the kid in his arms, “I know kid, we gotta get you something to eat.”

“I swear that child has the largest appetite,” You mused, a smile lighting your lips as you looked at the vulnerable youngling in the rough, intimidating arms of the Mandalorian. 

For a moment, you wondered what it felt like to be in his arms, held close and safe like that. 

“What are we gonna do with him for the hunt this afternoon?” You inquired, turning and securing the blaster Din had gotten you onto your belt, “And don’t even start the lecture on how we should be getting serious about our Vince planning. I know it seems like I’m being avoidant but if I just had a little more time then…”

You allowed your voice to trail off when you noticed the different kind of silence filling the crest. With furrowed brows, you turned to see Din tucking in the child to his crib. A sigh sounded from his modulator as he stepped back and checked his weapons, not even being able to look up to your gaze. 

“Din?” 

He paused, and the silence made your stomach twist. Finally, he looked up at you, “I need to do this hunt alone.”

For a moment, your brain would not grasp to compute the words, “What?”

“This is a dangerous one, and I’d feel better if you were here keeping the kid safe until I have it done.” 

It took every ounce of your energy to restrain the panic that immediately roared to life in response to the trauma-triggering words. The timing could not be worse for this conversation, not when you’d just been reminiscing on how haunted you were that he would walk just like your parents had. 

You managed to keep your face void of the telling emotions brewing within and shook your head, “Don’t be silly, Mando. If it’s really that dangerous, then I’ll just come with you.”

“No,” He urged, his voice stronger this time as he took a step closer to you, “I need you and the kid safe. I can’t ensure that if you’re out with me on a hunt like this.”

“I can hold my own,” You argued, trying and failing to keep the desperation from leaking into your voice, “I’ll just go with you and-”

“It is not safe for you out there. Vince’s bounty on your head keeps ratcheting up and everytime you leave this ship, your chances of being caught grow. I cannot risk that.” Din cut in, and even though he was grappling to keep the intense worry within his gut from spilling out, you were hopelessly battling the trauma-ingrained panic of what his words meant to you. 

He might have been looking out for your safety, but your irrational mind was already jumping to conclusions and you could not stop it. After all, Din had no ties to you besides a promise built on a foundation of good will and blind trust. What would really stop him from finding another ship and leaving you here? The Razor Crest was an aging ship anyways, and he had more than enough credits for an upgrade. 

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Mando assured, walking past you and towards the hatch that was now lowering and opening to the outside, “It shouldn’t take me all night, but if it does, don’t come hunting for me. I can’t risk you being caught.”

“Din, please don’t-”

Your words died as he walked down the hatch and off into the mid afternoon light. 

“Please don’t leave me,” You whispered to yourself.

If he’d spared just one moment to look at your face, Din would have seen the anguish there. He hadn’t looked, though, because something had changed so fundamentally within the bounty hunter when he’d stood so close to you just moments ago.

Din had peered down at you, taking in the beauty of your face and your very soul, and had realized the extent of what he’d do for you. More accurately, Din had realized that there were no limits to what he’d do, give, endure to ensure your safety. He’d always been a natural protector, but this was different. You were different. And Din knew that one more look into your haunted eyes would have him setting course for whatever shithole Vince Hanon lived in and slaughtering him just so you could live with a peace of mind. 

So Din kept walking, and left you in the Crest. He left you, not knowing that you did not believe he’d come back. He left you, unaware that you were already beginning to fray with the lies your mind was bellowing down upon you. 

He left you, and all you could think about was what would happen if you never saw him again.

[alltheirdamn]

A Bounty for Reward (Mando x f!reader)

CHAPTER 12

Summary: Revenge tastes so fucking sweet. Warnings: extreme violence, blood and gore, weapons, dismemberment (sorry...), torture, wound care, shower sex, unprotected piv sex, oral (m receiving), fingering, language Word Count: 7.1k A/N: First and foremost, I am so sorry it took me a bit of extra time to get this chapter posted. I am the WORST at writing action-packed scenes and truly spent a week bashing my head against a wall trying to get it right. (it still isn't good lol) But anyway, pls look past the monstrosity that is ~my writing~ and enjoy the karma Kesi deserves.

Din really fucking hated being stuck on a ship with the three Mandalorians. Paz was a part of Clan Vizsla, another house within the Death Watch. While Din hadn’t interacted much with him, the scene in Nevarro was enough to make his blood boil. Paz had never seen Din remove his helmet, but the insinuation he knew had Din on edge. Maybe the apparent relationship between him and the girl led Paz to consider the chances of Din breaking his Creed. Paz wasn’t wrong, but his distaste for Din would cause a problem if it went any further.

All four of them had squeezed into the cockpit of the Gauntlet as they flew towards Oba Diah. For a few hours, there was nothing but silence and building tension between them all. Bo Katan and Koska had removed their helmets early on, proving to be one more thing that set Din on edge. Despite his loyalty to the Death Watch, seeing them so free in their own Clan made him extremely envious. Din had renounced his loyalty but wasn’t ready to completely break free from all he had known.

“So,” Bo Katan said, breaking the silence. 

She turned the pilot's seat around to face Din, a smug grin teasing the corners of her lips. 

“This girl must be something special if you’re killing in her honor,” she smirked. “Let me guess, you broke your loyalty for her, huh? Took off that shiny helmet?”

Din didn’t respond. Bo Katan could see right through him. 

“Does she know what that means?” Bo Katan raised an eyebrow.

“You are no Mandalorian,” Paz growled from beside Din.

Din exhaled heavily, turning his visor towards Paz. While Paz was twice his size, Din wasn’t intimidated; he was just worried that this situation would affect the mission.

“I have done nothing wrong,” Din said.

“Apostate! You have gone against our Creed, and for what? That girl?”

Din was out of his seat, pining Paz against his own with a vibroblade. Paz’s strength outdid Din’s, but Din kept a firm hand on Paz’s cowl to hold him down.

“I am still a Mandalorian!” Din snapped. 

“Your loyalty lies elsewhere,” Bo Katan chimed in. “Unless you and her have taken vows to one another, Paz is correct. You have broken the creed within your Clan. In their books, you are no longer a Mandalorian.”

“I am loyal to my Clan,” Din defended, though it felt like a lie.

“You are loyal to her,” Bo Katan argued.

Paz shoved Din, forcing him to stumble back into his chair. Din knew in his heart his loyalty was to her and her alone, but admitting that aloud to other Mandalorians made the weight of it too heavy to carry. Especially with Paz, that admission would come with a fight in words and fists, and he needed their focus on the mission. Din still needed time to learn who he was without his Creed before he could face any more scrutiny.

“Our focus is this mission,” Din said firmly. “Nothing else.”

“I will not stand beside someone who tosses their loyalty at a woman's feet,” Paz snapped.

“You have come to fight, Paz,” Bo Katan interjected. “You both can sort your issues out after. We will fight in return for Mando’s help, and I will not let the rules of your Clan stand in the way.”

Paz had little else to say in doing so, leaving the cockpit and retreating into the belly of the ship. Din sat defeated, watching the galaxy pass by as they flew closer to Oba Diah. His mind was fixated on Kesi and all the ways he would torture him, though he found his thoughts wandering to the quiet moments spent on the Crest with her. Just this one mission, and he’d be home.

The Gauntlet passed through Oba Diah’s atmosphere a day later. The planet was drenched in an endless array of grey clouds and smoke. As they flew further into the city, it became alight in colors of neon green that seemed to dissolve into the smoky haze surrounding the mountain crags. Din had never seen a city built around a fortress, but that’s what it was: a fortress. Nestled between the obsidian cliffs and mountain crags, they flew closer to a large spaceport where several ships were inbound. Bo Katan slowed the ship as they neared the port, her focus dead set on landing somewhere untraceable. 

“We’ll be lucky to make it out of here in one piece,” she grumbled. 

Koska scoffed at her words, throwing a deadly glare at Din. He knew it was because of his infatuation with killing Kesi that they were all in this predicament, but he didn’t care. He needed this. 

“Once this is settled, my help will be returned,” Din swore. 

“Oh, I know,” Bo Katan said. 

She found a secluded area in the mountain range to land the Gauntlet, giving them enough time to gather weapons and create a somewhat thought-out plan. Din knew that the Pykes were unpredictable, and whatever they were walking into, they needed to keep sharp. He was in full hunter mode now; nothing would prevent him from finding and killing Kesi. 

Paz was quieter towards Din now, instead focusing on loading his large blaster—there was a reason why Mandalorians referred to him as the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian. 

As Bo Katan lowered the ship's ramp, she adjusted her helmet on her head, Koska following suit. Din felt a sudden wave of jealousy washing over him as he observed their nonchalance with the motion, wishing he could feel that free with his armor. He could be as free as he desired with her but not surrounded by Mandalorians who scrutinized his every move and decision. 

“There’s an entrance into the fortress on the eastern edge of the mountain range,” Bo Katan explained. “We’ll move there and secure the surroundings before entering. I’m not sure where Kesi could be located in the fortress, but we need to stay alert and ready for any possible chance of a fight.”

They nodded in agreement and started to hike east towards the entrance. It was no easy trek to the entrance as they encountered unstable ground and falling rocks, but as they neared the fortress, the ground evened out and gave a clear path to the door. Din surveyed the surroundings; his blaster clutched tight as he scanned the perimeter. He gave an ‘all-clear’ sign to the other three, motioning them forward. Paz approached the entrance first, trying his hand at the coded system that kept it locked. Din wasn’t surprised to find it heavily armored, but it didn’t seem to phase Paz as he blasted the system and sent the door flying open. 

“Easy enough,” Paz grumbled, forcing his large body through the door first. 

It was, in fact, not easy. 

The security system of the fortress set off a loud alarm, the entire entrance drenched in red as they sprinted down the hallway. The blaring sound of the alarm drowned out Din’s mind as he raced through the building, his weapon lifted as he readied himself for the fight. Bo Katan and Koska remained further back to guard Din and Paz as they swept through the lower floor, scanning for any indication of straggling spice traders. They came up empty and continued to scour the lower level until they reached an unmanned turbolift. 

“Be ready for the fight,” Din instructed, leading them into the lift. 

Bo Katan unsheathed her duel pistols, followed by Koska lifting her blaster rifle to eye level as they faced the door. Paz was grumbling nonsense as he readied his weapon, training it at the door for when it opened. The turbolift ascended above ground, the lights flickering red as it came to a stop. Din held in a breath as he anticipated the worst, his weapon mirroring the other Mandalorians. 

They knew what awaited them when the doors opened. 

Pykes littered the hallway as the turbolift door opened, their rifles sending a downpour of blasts toward the four Mandalorians. Din ducked under the fire, sending a return of shots that forced a domino effect of Pykes falling to the ground. Paz advanced in front of Din, his large blaster nearly incinerating the remaining smugglers that stood in their way. 

“Good work,” Din panted. 

Paz huffed at his words, stalking forward as they turned down another hallway. Bo Katan and Koska flanked Din’s sides, their helmets whipping back and forth for any other Pykes on their tails. Despite their arguments on the ship, Din was grateful for their help because he knew he wouldn’t have survived this alone.

The hallway opened into a large operations room, the screens covered in static and blinking lights. Bo Katan surged forward to inspect the operation systems, checking for locations within the fortress that might be useful. Paz remained in the doorway, his blaster set to kill in case anyone ventured their way. Once Bo Katan located a map of the fortress, Din’s eyes wildly searched it for any clues. The entire Pyke fortress was a series of mazes that led to various operation rooms or spice mills. Din had a hunch Kesi would be in one of the main operations rooms, so he set his sights on traveling higher to the heart of the building. 

While they gathered information, another grouping of Pykes rounded the entrance, circling them until they were outnumbered. A slew of shots rang out from both sides, some of the shots hitting the hardware within the room and lighting the systems on fire. They had to move now before things got worse. All four Mandalorians fought their way out of the smoking room and maneuvered over the dead bodies as they searched for another escape route. Din led them back into the hallway toward another turbolift, keeping a mental note of which operations rooms he wanted to tear apart, all the while fantasizing about the way he’d torture Kesi. 

The turbolift opened into the heart of the fortress, the hallway lined with Syndicate members waiting to strike them down. Each advanced at a deadly speed, their rifles more powerful than the last group they encountered. Din surged forward, dropping to a crouch as he tore through the bodies with his vibroblade. Din was bloodthirsty as he watched them drop to the ground, their masked faces staring blankly at the ceiling as they continued through the fortress. He was ruthless with each kill, striking some with his blaster while he tore into others with his blade. The other Mandalorians didn’t hold back with their violence, either, their body count adding to his as they moved in deadly silence. 

“Check every room,” Din commanded. “If you find Kesi before I do, you alert me. He’s mine.”

The violence laced within Din’s words forced them to agree in silence as they split up, each tracking the halls on their own. Din moved through the main hallway of the fortress, the alarm still blaring in the back of his mind. His armor was doused in red light as he lurked around the corners, dropping Pykes where they stood. Some of their shots landed against his armor, but they made no impact on the beskar covering his chest or arms. 

He approached the first row of rooms lining the hallway, the metal steel doors taunting him with each step. Din nearly vibrated with rage when he hijacked the last room, the remnants of sabacc tables and spice dirtying the ground. He was losing his sanity with each step, knowing how close he was to finding Kesi and coming up empty every time a new room appeared. Standing in the final empty room, Din let out a frustrated yell, sinking his fist into the metal wall until it dented. 

“Mando!” Bo Katan’s voice broke through the rage-filled thoughts in his mind. 

She appeared at the room entrance, her helmet flicking to the wall and back to Din’s heaving body. He schooled his features, straightening his shoulders as he waited for her to speak. He desperately needed to hear those three words leave her mouth. 

“We found him,” Bo Katan said. 

Din’s vision went red. 

Bo Katan led him down a series of pathways, already covered in bloodshed and death left by her and Koska, till they reached a standalone room. Din clipped his blaster back onto his weaponry belt as he followed Bo Katan through the broken doorway. He wouldn’t need a gun for this death; he wanted to draw out the pain until there was nothing left of Kesi. 

Paz had Kesi pinned to the floor, Koska flanking his side with her blaster raised and aimed at Kesi’s head. Din stepped into the room and motioned for her to lower her weapon. She stepped aside, letting Din take her spot. 

“Leave us,” Din said, angling his head toward the doorway.

“We can kill him right now,” Paz argued.

Din’s helmet snapped toward Paz, and he wished Paz could see the dangerous glare twisting his facial features. Gnashing his teeth together, he waited for Paz to relent and leave.

“He’s mine,” Din snapped.

Paz gave one stiff nod and retreated into the hallway. 

Kesi laughed, exhausted, as he slumped against the wall, his teeth barred and yellow eyes gleaming under the flashing red lights. The color distorted his features, his face shadowed and mocking as he stared at Din. 

“All of this chaos for some whore?” He taunted. 

Din’s fist made contact with the center of Kesi’s face, bone cracking the only noise above the alarm system. This was just the start of what he wanted to do to the vile piece of shit in front of him. Kesi doubled over, groaning and clutching his bleeding nose, and Din took a slow step forward, crowding him against the ground. Lowering himself into a crouch, he gripped Kesi by the hair on his scalp, forcing him to meet the visor of his helmet.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you,” Din growled. 

Kesi spit blood at Din’s helmet, the splatter minimal across the visor. Din wished Kesi could see the murderous grin he had as he watched him writhe under his grasp. 

“You realize the type of people that will hunt you down, right?” Kesi laughed, blood coating his teeth.

“Let them.”

Din unsheathed his vibroblade and angled it at the base of Kesi’s neck. Dragging the tip across the skin, he relished at how the blood slowly pooled to the surface. Releasing his grip on Kesi’s hair, Din reached for Kesi’s hand and bent it sideways, followed by another harmony of cracking bones. Kesi wailed in pain, thrashing against Din’s hold. 

“You touched her once,” Din accused. “That needs to be fixed.”

Steadying the broken hand, Din took the blade to Kesi’s first finger, sawing against the bone until the flesh fell away along with the digit. He paid no mind to the sound of Kesi’s cries as he moved to the next finger, repeating the mutilation until his hand was void of all five fingers. Blood seeped into Din’s glove as he tossed the damaged hand aside, reaching for Kesi’s other to deliver the same torture. 

“Stop!” Kesi begged as Din tore into the first finger.

“Did you stop when she begged?” Din seethed.

Kesi only whimpered, his body shaking with a mixture of pain and blood loss. 

“I didn’t think so,” Din said.

With all of his fingers disposed onto the ground at his feet, Din lifted the blade back to the edge of Kesi’s jaw. The man was practically a heap of flesh and blood, his consciousness slipping with each passing moment. 

“Hell is too good for someone like you,” Din whispered.

He drew the bloodied blade across Kesi’s neck, a gurgled sound seeping from his lips. Din stepped back to watch as it stained his tanned skin and tattered clothes, the color of it darkening with each flash of the red lights in the room. Kesi’s body crumpled to the floor, his eyes staring blankly at the walls. Din wasn’t done yet. 

Grounding the sole of his boot between Kesi’s shoulder blades, he yanked Kesi’s head up and tore into the flesh and bone of his throat until his head fell from his body. 

It wasn’t enough to fix the past, but it was enough to satisfy Din.

The other Mandalorians didn’t question Din when he emerged from the room drenched with Kesi’s blood. Bo Katan gave him a knowing nod, grasping his shoulder as they turned to leave. Din was in a murderous haze as they rewound their way down to the east entrance, still on alert for other Pykes. So far, they were clear as they rounded the path back to the Gauntlet. 

“We need to go back to Nevarro,” Din huffed. 

“I’ll give you a week with your girl, and we'll leave for our mission,” Bo Katan replied. “No backing out now, Mando. You did us a favor, and now you owe me.”

“I understand.”

The ramp lowered to the ship, and they began climbing up. From the corner of his eye, Din spotted a Pyke lurking on the ship's west side, barreling toward them. Din flipped his blaster from his hip, but not fast enough to avoid a sharp pain threading up his abdomen. He heard the remnants of footsteps running down the ramp behind him as everything around him faded. 

**

You were getting stir-crazy in the confines of the room Karga had stuffed you into. You had the freedom to leave as long as he oversaw your every move, but without Din, nothing interested you. Which was pretty fucking pathetic. Never could you have imagined your life revolving around a man—it was sort of laughable. But you loved him, and that outweighed the unfortunate butterflies in your stomach swirling about. 

You had sat yourself by the window most of the morning, watching the citizens of Nevarro roam about the main street. Though most of the town was filled with bounty hunters and drunken gamblers, you could spot small families occasionally. That pang of jealousy still thrummed inside your heart as you gazed upon them; you hated that you couldn’t have that life. You hated that you couldn’t give Din that same life, too. If he ever wanted to have a family, it wouldn’t happen with you, and that was a truth you’d have to learn to live with. 

As the morning passed into early afternoon, you caught a glimpse of a ship passing through the atmosphere. It was Bo Katan’s ship; you knew that much. Your feet couldn’t carry you fast enough through the inn and streets; your breath ragged as you finally made ground toward the docking port. It wasn’t until you saw Paz Viszla carrying a limp body down the ramp that your body stood paralyzed. 

It was Din. 

“What the hell happened?” You nearly screamed, barely avoiding stumbling into Bo Katan. She kept you at arm's length despite your body fighting against her hold. You tried to conceal your worry, but you failed… poorly. Din’s hand was clutching his side, blood pooling over his glove. You didn’t even have time to understand why the rest of him was caked in dried blood, either, but you had a terrible hunch you knew the reason. 

“A Pyke snuck up on us as we were leaving,” Bo Katan explained, still keeping you feet from Paz. 

You schooled your expression as Paz laid Din on the ground, followed by a pained groan muffled through the modulator. You pushed off Bo Katan, crouching down to inspect the wound. 

“You couldn’t have fucking helped him?” You yelled at Bo Katan. 

She pulled her helmet from her head, her eyes filled with anger as she glared down at you. 

“We barely made it out of Oba Diah alive,” she explained. “They hunted down our ship through the atmosphere and nearly shot us down. You’re lucky any of us survived.”

You shot to your feet, jabbing a finger into her breastplate, followed suit by Koska raising her blaster at you. You paid no mind to the weapon in your face as you barred your teeth at Bo Katan.

“Do you want his help for your own mission?” You cocked an eyebrow. “Then help.”

“He doesn’t want our help,” she argued. “He kept asking for you. So you help him. He’s no good to us if he’s injured, so the sooner he can heal, the sooner he can fulfill the side of his deal.”

You could barely contain your anger as you snapped your head toward Paz. You pointed to Din’s weak body and gave silent instructions to lift him. 

“Bring him to the Crest,” you ordered. “I’ll take care of him. All of you need to fucking leave.”

“Remember, little one, he did this all for you,” Bo Katan said. 

Her words were close to breaking you, but you wouldn’t give her that power. You had hated her from the start, and in that moment, you really fucking hated her. You hated her for the reminder that you were the reason Din had gotten into the mess, and more importantly, you were the reason he was injured. You’d carry that guilt for your life. 

It took both you and Paz to carry Din up the ramp of the Crest, Din moaning with each step. He had mumbled your name a few times as you held his side, forcing tears to sting your eyes. He was alive; that was the important thing right now. Once Paz situated Din on the floor of the cargo hold, you screamed at him to leave and waited until the ramp closed to finally lose your shit. 

You held Din against your body, his helmet tipping to the side, the cold metal grazing your skin. The coldness of it stung, eliciting a wince from your mouth, but you pushed past it as you came to wrap your arm around his shoulder. Glancing down at his side, you peeled his hands away, exposing the gnarly gash. It was still slowly leaking blood, the tear in his pilot suit soaked in crimson colors. The fabric itself was seared away, the weapon that caused it far more violent than a standard blade. 

“Vibroblade,” he choked out, answering your wondering thoughts.

Your eyes shot up to the helmet, watching as it rocked to each side, his focus fading quickly. Your hand squeezed his bicep, forcing him to stay focused on you. You examined the wound again, seeing that it had penetrated through the thickest layer of his skin. It would need more than bacta spray and a med patch, but you would try what you could to suture it. 

Din let out a low groan, his helmet smacking back against the wall. 

“Hey!” You snapped. “Mando, you gotta stay with me, alright?”

“Din,” he sighed. “We’re alone.”

Your head rested against his arm momentarily, your pulse thumping in your ears as you tried to assess the situation. Fingers reaching up under his cowl, you pressed against his jawline, feeling for a pulse under his sweating skin. It was there; it was faint. No matter what, he had to stay awake and alert. 

“Din,” you whispered. “Din, can I take your helmet off?”

He didn’t respond, his muscles growing lax under your hold. 

“Din!” You hissed frantically. 

Without a response and permission, you pressed the latches on either side of the helmet, letting it crash against the metal floor as you tossed it aside. The chestnut curls of his hair stuck to damp, tanned skin, the remnants of battle plastered across his face. His brows were furrowed in apparent discomfort, thick eyelashes fluttering as his eyes remained shut. You swiped a finger over his cheek, collecting a rolling trail of sweat as it fell from his brow. In any other situation, you would be pressing your lips against his urgently, but this wasn’t the time. 

“Din,” you said quietly, “I’ve got to get the bacta spray, okay? I’ll be right back.”

He grunted in response, his lips twitching as if to say something. You halted, waiting for any sound to leave his pursed mouth. But nothing came. Leaving a chassed kiss on his forehead, you found your way to the refresher to grab the med kit, thankful he had restocked it when you arrived on Nevarro. Collecting everything you needed–wound cleaner, bacta spray, sutures, med patches–you rushed back to Din, watching as his chest rose and fell softly. 

“You still with me?” You asked. Your hand came up to cup his cheek, his body leaning into your touch slightly. 

“Hmph,” was all that came from his mouth. 

“Good enough for me,” you sighed.

Eyes roaming back to the gash on his side, you tore away more of the suit’s fabric to make enough room for the wound cleaner. Dumping the liquid onto your hands, you started massaging it against the soft skin covering his ribcage. Din grunted as the liquid stung his open wound, the chemicals working overtime to sanitize the extremity of the injury. It would be a miracle if he came out unscathed from an infection. The more your hands worked around the skin, the more he flinched away. 

“Stop fucking moving,” you snapped. “I can’t help you if you keep jerking away from me.”

You hadn’t meant to be so mean, but it was the underlying worry bubbling to the surface. You weren’t mad at him; you were just mad. Mad that it was your fault he left in the first place. Mad that his fixation on killing Kesi led him to be attacked by the Pykes. Taking a moment to breathe, you wiped your hands on your work pants, the caked-on blood smearing across the linen fabric. That was never coming out, you thought to yourself. 

Realizing you forgot a towel, you improvised, ripping apart your shirt to clean off the skin around the wound. Din winced again, this time his body twitching away from you as you touched him. Reaching a hand up to his neck, you tried soothing him, only for him to respond otherwise. With a violent grip, Din grabbed your wrist, the leather of his gloves digging into the tendons of your forearm. Yelping in pain, you glanced up, seeing his eyes set ablaze in anger and confusion. Twisting your arm harder, he hunched over you, face moving closer to yours with each constriction. 

“Hey!” you cried, “Din, it’s me!”

Still, he was unwavering, the anger too blinding for him to see past. You used all your strength to pry his fingers from your arm, only to be matched with the same strength from his own, pinning you further against the ground. You pleaded silently, watching the emotions stir within the brown of his eyes. Glimpses of reality flickered back and forth, the hold of the past a stronger vice than the present.  

“Din!” You nearly screamed. 

That caught his attention. 

Ripping your arm from his loosening grip, you stared at him in stunned silence, rubbing the finger marks that bruised your wrist. His eyes washed over you, up and down… up and down,  until he settled on your face with an apologetic look. Your name fell off his lips with a broken rasp. 

“Yeah, I know,” you sighed, the anger in you simmering, “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“I hurt you,” he said, hand lifting to hold your face. 

You batted it away, grabbing the bacta spray and giving his wound a long coating of the medicine. He yelped in pain, the initial shock of the chemicals stunting him from speaking again. 

“No more than getting yourself hurt,” you snapped. You resprayed the medicine, his body flinching from yours. “You should have never done this. I wasn’t worth this.”

“Angel,” He choked through a few breaths. 

“Don’t,” you whispered. “You know I’m right.”

“I needed to do this.”

Frustrated, you laughed, tossing the bacta spray half away across the hold until it clattered against the refresher door. Din’s head turned from the bottle to you, his brows knit with confusion. Peeling away the backing of a med patch, you smoothed it over the wound, rubbing it over and over mindlessly. He winced again under you, this time locking his fingers around yours in an attempt to stop your sadistic behavior. 

“Enough,” he rasped. 

“If you had just let it go, you wouldn’t be hurt. You should have stayed,” you continued, talking through your anger. Your hand smoothed the patch down over and over and over again until he finally squeezed your fingers until the bones ground together. You yanked your hand away, sitting back on your heels as you watched him analyze the bandaged cut. With med supplies covering the ground, half your shirt torn off, and his helmet missing, you could finally see Din piecing together the situation you had been left in. 

He sighed. 

“He deserved to die, angel. I swore I’d go after him, and I’m sorry I got hurt. There would always be that risk of getting hurt, and I’m sorry it happened,” he conceded.

You paused, watching as his eyes batted themselves close. His lips parted slightly, chapped from the oxygen intake over the last several minutes. Every inch of his face was covered in exhaustion and pain, the worry lines in his skin far more prominent than ever. Reaching up again, you thumbed over the small patches of gray in his beard, rubbing it softly as the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. 

“What’re you smiling for?” You grumbled, pitching the coarse hair between two fingers. 

Peaking out one eye, Din stared you down, capturing you in the dark brown of his eyes. 

“You’re beautiful. And I missed you.”

“And you’re lucky to be alive,” you rolled your eyes. “You’re an idiot. You had me scared that I would lose you.”

Din wrapped an arm around you, hugging you gingerly to his side, exhaling your name. You took careful consideration in not leaning against the freshly cleaned wound, your weight leaning more into his shoulders than anything else. He huffed a long sigh, his lips connecting with your forehead for a long, thoughtful kiss. 

“Thank you for taking care of me. I’m sorry you had to in the first place.”

“You left me no choice.”

Several moments passed without a response from him, the only sound being the light buzz of the cargo hold. His body rose and fell softly with each passing breath, his face finally softening as he rested. As long as his wound was cared for, he could rest, and you would let him. Peeling yourself out of his arms, you cleaned up the mess of supplies in the quiet, retiring to the cockpit to sit in silence. 

Above all else, you were mad at yourself. You could pin your anger on Bo Katan, but it was useless. You could easily pin your anger on Din, but you knew the reason behind his actions. He promised you freedom; he promised you Kesi would be caught, and that’s what you wanted, right? It had been everything you wanted, yet seeing him injured and hurt made you rethink it all. Was this how he felt after the attack on the Crest? 

But this was different. He had the help of three other Mandalorians and still came out injured. This could have been avoided if you hadn’t even been introduced into his life in the first place, but you wouldn’t let your mind roam to those invasive thoughts. Feeding into those thoughts brought you right back to that instinct to run. All you did was ruin everything around you, regardless of Din’s own choices; ultimately, it was your fault. Yes, you were free now, but that didn’t wash your hands clean of the blood on them. 

Hours passed before you heard rustling in the cargo hold. Climbing down from the cockpit, you found Din in the refresher, the sound of water softly echoing beyond the door. His armor and flight suit were piled on the bed, and his weapons belt hung inside the armory across from the refresher. Your eyes lingered on the blood covering the beskar armor, a chill running up your spine at the thought of what he did. Kesi was dead—more than dead, by the looks of it. 

The steam of the refresher left the cargo hold warm and humid, and the idea of warm water on your body seemed much better than staying in the freezing lower deck. 

Stripping out of your torn and bloodied clothes, you slid open the refresher door, the soft hiss of it closing lost beneath the sound of the falling water. Behind the fog and steam, you could see the silhouette of your bounty hunter, his tanned skin glistening from the water. His back was to you, giving you a complete view of his broad shoulders. While his hands worked their way through his damped curls, you could see the flex and movement of his back muscles, along with the scatters of scars that covered his skin in clusters. Small slashes from past battles, memories of bounties, years of fighting… all displayed in an array of darkened marks against his skin. 

Finding your way into the small space, you hugged your body against his, wrapping your arms around his torso. You could feel the way his body tensed and released as he adjusted to your chest flush with his back. He was warm, and you inhaled the lingering smell of gunpowder and sweat on his body. His hands snaked around your arms, fingers trailing down to interlock with yours. Your mouth roamed over his skin, kissing each scar as you moved across the planes of his shoulder blades. His fingers squeezed yours, drawing your own hands to his lips. With each kiss you placed, he left his own on your fingers, his soft lips covering you in tender kisses. 

“C’mere,” he said, pulling you around to face him. 

His eyes were soft in the dim lights of the refresher, his eyelashes covered in water droplets as he looked down on you lovingly. Din roamed his hands over the curves of your body, squeezing your hips as you leaned back to dampen your hair. Feeling him press against you, you pulled him down to meet your lips, the water falling over both your open mouths. Noticing him harden against your leg, you leaned into him, eliciting a soft moan from his lips. 

“Let me take care of you now,” he rasped, his mouth nipping at your jawline. “Let me make things better.”

A warmth spread low in your body in response to his words, wetness growing between your thighs as his hand trailed lower. He brushed a finger up your inner thigh, a shiver running through your body as you bucked against his hand. 

“Din,” you said breathlessly. 

Din had you pressed against the wall in one smooth motion, the cold tile stinging your skin. His hand coaxed your thighs further apart, a calloused finger drawing hard, slow circles around your clit. Keening, your head fell against his chest, your core clenching at each movement of his fingers. He responded to your growing whimpers as he slipped a thick finger between your wet folds, curling it deep inside you until you released a loud moan. Slipping another finger in, Din pushed his hand further against your wet cunt, his thumb finding itself comfortably against your clit. A blinding ripple of pleasure clouded your vision as your nails dug into the tensed muscles of his biceps. 

“Right there,” you panted, hips pushing forward to feel the curl of his fingers in the deepest part of you. 

A growl vibrated through his chest as his fingers moved at a rougher pace, drawing you right to the brink of your orgasm. Letting out an exhausted cry, you clenched around his fingers, grinding your hips against his hand until his fingers were covered in your juices. As he pulled his fingers from you–drawing a small gasp from your lips–he bent down to meet your lips with a passionate kiss. Teasing your own open wider, Din deepened the kiss as your name fell off his tongue in a soft admission. 

He was insatiable. 

But you had other plans. 

Using what little strength you had, you pivoted until he was pinned against the wall, his pupils blown wide with lust. You rubbed your hands over the expanse of his broad chest, fingers curling through the hair that covered his tan skin. You made sure to avoid his bandaged wound, seeing a small stain of blood leaking through the med patch. Kissing over his sternum, you let your weak legs draw you down, a trail of kisses leading the way as you positioned yourself on your knees. The placement of the water behind you hit your back in warm waves, the pressure of it soothing you as your fingers dug into the dip of his pelvic bone. Din let out a soft groan, his eyes never leaving you as your tongue danced over the soft flesh of his stomach. 

He was achingly hard by the time your mouth roamed to his cock, the tip leaking with precum already. Leaving gentle kisses along the length of his cock, you gazed upwards to find him wrecked with wanton need. You were working at an agonizingly slow pace, and he was at your disposal. With the tip of your tongue, you drew a long, steady line from the base of his cock, a deep shudder echoing through his body. His hand tangled itself in your hair, his fingers scraping against your scalp as he urged you to take him in your mouth. Letting him guide his cock into your mouth, you suppressed a moan as it hit the back of your throat. 

“Fuck,” he exhaled. 

He thrust into your mouth, slow at first, then picking up speed as he felt your lips adjust to the girth of his cock. Your eyes stayed trained on him, watching as his jaw fell slack each time you swallowed him. You felt his body as it began to tense up, the peak of his orgasm straining through his muscles as he tightened his grip on your hair. You circled his cock, the sensitivity too much to bear as he finally spilled himself into your mouth. Swallowing hot ropes of cum, you waited until he softened to release him, a string of saliva connecting from the head of his cock to your wet lips. Grinning up at him, you kissed the soft skin of his thighs, sitting back on your heels as the water cascaded over your scalp. 

Your rest didn’t last long as Din reached down, gripping your elbow and yanking you back to your feet. His lips were on you, hot and urgent, as his tongue dipped inside your mouth. He moaned deeply into the kiss, the salty taste of his cum still lingering on your tongue. His fingers dug themselves into the plush curve of your hips, their grip bruising and rough as he laid claim over you. 

You mewled against his lips, your hands tangling themselves in the curls at the base of his neck, tugging softly as you felt his cock harden against your thigh. His mouth roamed down your neck, sucking marks into the skin–marks you knew would still be there tomorrow. You gasped as his teeth sucked down into the sensitive flesh between your neck and shoulder blade, just as his hands urged your thighs around his waist. With little effort on his end, Din hauled you up until your ankles were crossed at his lower back, your thighs widening to brace against his hips. 

“You want me to show how badly I need you, angel?” He whispered, his voice low. “Need me to prove it to you?”

“Please,” you begged. 

Taking himself in his hand, Din coated himself in your slick, splitting you open as he buried himself to the base of his cock. A cry escaped your lips as a hum of satisfaction left his. With a hand on your ass and the other braced against the wall, he thrust into you with violent strokes, each one hitting your core in blinding precision. He knew the exact spot that halted your breathing and left you wordless with nothing but high-pitched whines. 

“This is how badly I need you,” he gritted. “I fucking need this cunt; I fucking need you. Fuck, so good for me.”

You cried out, your body clenching as the ache inside your stomach grew until you couldn’t contain it anymore. 

“Din!” You sobbed. 

He was relentless, his thrusts more brutal with each force into you, and you could feel the tears spilling down your cheeks as you came. Your cunt pulsed hard as you clenched around his cock; his strokes halted as you squeezed around it. There was a choked sound lodged in his throat, and his own body tensed as he spilled himself inside you. His nails dug into the plush skin of your ass, his body grinding against your wet cunt as you continued throbbing around him. He hung his head a moment, mouth open as he panted heavily. Your own body was wracked with pleasure, a sting of pain coursing through your cervix from how cruel his movements were. As he slipped out of you, you could feel the mixture of your cum spill down your inner thigh, the spraying water washing it away as he guided you back onto your feet. The soreness in your thighs now would be thousands of times worse tomorrow, but you didn’t mind. 

You liked the reminder of him. 

“I love you,” he said, kissing your head softly. “I’m sorry for scaring you today, but I’m not sorry for what I did. You’re free now… you’re free.”

Fresh tears clouded your eyes as that realization settled in. You were free, and you were his.

“Thank you,” you sighed. “I love you.”

You glanced up at him, your bounty hunter, eyes aglow as he looked down on you. A gentle smile played on his lips, yet it didn’t fully meet his eyes. You could tell he was in pain as your eyes wandered down to his wound, seeing blood soaked through the med patch far more than you recalled from moments ago. 

“You won’t heal if you keep fucking me that hard,” you teased. 

“I guess I’ll never heal then,” he countered, pulling you flush to his chest. 

You laughed, tilting your head to meet his lips. 

“Let me clean this up,” you said, hands resting on his shoulders. 

“Later.” It was a warning. “I’m not ready to heal up just yet.”

Later, you’d ask him about Oba Diah, but you only wanted him and that taste of pure freedom.

[thefrogdalorian]

Hello! 

You may (or may not... I don't like to presume) have noticed my little break from posting. I just wanted to share something in case anyone was worried about me and assure you there is no need to be :) 

There isn't really one reason for why I've been on hiatus, but I guess a collection of things. 

I was really poorly with covid but thankfully I'm feeling a lot better now! But being so sick and stuck in I guess made me reevaluate certain things. 

Since recovering I got to see a lot of people I really adore with my whole heart, as well as being lucky enough to experience so many things I love with them.

And it made me realise what truly makes me happy in life. I suppose it really put things into perspective for me. I'm thinking more and more that tumblr (and being online generally) is something which unfortunately does not spark joy any longer. 

To be honest, (as I'm sure many people who were given far too much unsupervised access to the internet at a young age also do), I have a complicated relationship with social media. It doesn't make me feel good most of the time. I don't know how to handle some of the things I read and some of the things people have said to me. And just like I do irl, if the vibes feel off, I usually retreat into my shell to regroup. 

While I have made so many friends over the years of being chronically online and spoken to plenty of great people, I can feel myself getting drained again. And I really haven't missed it during the time I've been away.

I've filled my time with a lot of reading (I read Pride and Prejudice THREE times... doing amazingly), some writing and lots of long walks in nature. It's been really good for me!

As a result, right now, I just don't feel like continuing to post on this blog.

This decision wasn't caused by anyone or anything in particular. But when I've made my mind up about something, it's pretty impossible to change it. I've been mulling it over for a few days and my heart is telling me to go.

Anyway, I'm going to continue working on my WIPs and most likely continue posting them to AO3. It's by far the least social media-ish platform out there, and I really like posting on it. 

I need to take a step back to remember why I started writing, which was really as a way to get emotions out and to scream into the void a little. I don't enjoy sharing my work on tumblr, I kind of felt like I had to rather than genuinely wanting to. 

Truthfully, I just want to create and consume others' work in peace. I don't want to feel like I need to market my writing or whatever or compare myself to others. As much as I try not to, I think it's only human nature. 

So, I guess I'm really making this post to say I'll be going on a hiatus from tumblr. But I don't intend to stop writing or posting to AO3 and I hope to see you over there! 

I have no idea how long I'll be away for. Who knows... when winter comes around and my seasonal depression returns, or perhaps there is a major Mando update, maybe I'll return! 

For now, all there's left to say is how much of a pleasure it was posting about Mando and talking with you lot all these months. 

If anyone (mutual or otherwise) would like to keep in touch, feel free to message me for my discord! I'd be happy to continue chatting to you on there.

For me, in the headspace I'm currently in, one on one conversation is far less intimidating than being perceived by lots of people lol. 

I'll likely drop in at some point soon-ish and check for any of those messages, but until then, it's not a goodbye, but a see you later! 

Please care of yourselves and be kind to others :) 

Love,

Spud 🐸🩷

[omaano]

HELLO IT'S ME AGAIN and i think i overdid it with this one, so i'll probably split this into separate parts, there should be five! this one, boon givers, non-boon givers/npcs, weapons, and aspects :D in reference to who you've got as who from hades game--- so i'm going off the (hopefully accurate) assumption that those with boons are the 'gods' of this au, so-- barriss, kit, shaak, cobb, boba, ahsoka, quinlan (!!), leia, anakin/vader & maul. this leaves… literally EVERYONE else as NPCs, which i love and adore (the rancor [?], cody, satine, echo&fives, aphra, paz, bo-katan, sabine, omega, rex, wolffe, ezra, obi-wan, luke and the armorer!) okay this is just me trying to connect the dots (and from memory i think you've got a fair few more characters than the game does, so bear with me), but: (next ask)

Hello!

First of all, omg, you really put a lot of thought into this, damn! And you have so many insights and good ideas I could have never come up with (and a few assumptions I will have to correct as we go along, but that's mostly about things I haven't yet talked about, and thus cannot expect anyone to know) - especially about the weapons and aspects because... let's be honest I only got so far as "darksaber" and "spear" and the rest is not my problem lol XD

I will make a whole different post to reply to your asks about those (that one will be a LOT shorter, mostly because I will just be excitedly gushing over your ideas), but this one is getting so long I feel like I should offer something in compensation to anyone who'll read to the end ^^; (You'll see more art by mid-August when it will be time for the next monthly update, don't worry!) But I felt like that the FULL layout of all the characters would be better kept together in one post.

Waking up to all these messages had been so unspeakably good, thank you so much for taking the time not to just think these up but to type them out and send them to me as well, because omg your brain and enthusiasm!! I cannot say how much that means to me, I cannot say THANK YOU in big enough caps to encapsule that! ❤️❤️

I had so many things to reply to and talk about, please excuse me that I've taken this long to get to all of them ^^;

So, half of the replies and answers under the cut ->

BOON GIVERS

hades has ten, you've got ten! current associations-- you've said leia is a hermes adjacent character, which checks out. maul is chaos adjacent, as you've also said anakin is zeus, ahsoka is athena? ties into the parent-child/master-padawan relationship? barriss as artemis, kit as poseidon, shaak as demeter? quinlan as dionysus perhaps? cobb and boba are both boon-givers/deities and also romanceable--- boba as ares and cobb as aphrodite? vibes only man.

So the first assumption I need to correct here is that Anakin is most definitely not Zeus, but Demeter (I likely only hinted at that in the tags I think)! That was kind of the reason and realization that's wormed into my brain first and paved the road for my willingness to extend this AU with TCW characters as well. So this applies for later with your NPC adjacent ask too, because Luke is not in fact cast for Hades' but Persephone's role, as the one who needs to be found at the end of the whole mighty quest - and whom Din can also visit on the regular until he gets 75% custody of his kid back (that's a joke, but you know it checks out to a degree). So Anakin is suited for an overprotective parent figure (on a good day) who also doesn't know how to go about it without swinging in the other direction as well. (Plus in my humble opinion Demeter is stronger than Zeus anyway. This is not an objective statement, I just feel stronger with her boons with my game style XD)

I've also switched Fennec back from Barriss (I'm so sorry that I keep doing this, I hope noone's got their hopes up too high D:) because I'd taken a look at the lineup, considered my options for dialogue (since half the Mando cast has no clue about the other boon giver characters) and decided that I needed to bring back more Mando-adjacent characters. (A Boba-Fennec duo boon would be so good!) This way Fennec could technically still carry over to a potential Hades2 AU, and Barriss can appear there as a new character (I haven't watched Tales from the Empire, but I have the feeling that she would go very interestingly with Ventress).

So... they don't line up perfectly with their godly roles, but that leaves Fennec for Artemis (sharpshooter ayy!), and... Shaak Ti for Zeus, Ahsoka for Athena (your reasoning for master/padawan relationship thing kind of convinced me of this, even though Ahsoka has never been Shaak's padawan per se, but I like it when Shaak mentors her as another female togruta in the Order). You are pretty spot on with the rest, good job! :D (The guess at the Boba and Cobb vibes was great, I went with vibes too, but they check out pretty good imo :D)

NON BOON GIVERS

bo-katan is meg, and her night owls are tisiphone and alecto (given) aphra is charon (given) cody is achilles, obi-wan is patroclus (definitely heavily implied if not outright stated, i can't remember)

yes, absolutely spot on!

luke is hades (implied if not stated)

As stated above, Luke is not Hades but Persephone, except that he makes an appearance after the final boss fight to take Grogu off Din's hands (maybe even help out) as he does in the show. Hence why I'm planning to draw two versions of his character art: one for his stylish black Jedi Master getup with the lightsaber, and one dressed down to a "farm boy" and looser, happier and less serious (like how Persephone has her serious queenly look, and the one where she is just at home in her garden.

paz & axe are theseus & asterius? specifically paz as asterius i think (implied?)

Axe double times it for two boss roles (lol, although technically he exchanges one for the other to hang out with Paz later), and Paz also pulls double shift for ThAsterius (Asterius's size but Theseus' mouth and piss poor attitude XD) and Hypnos (I feel it very fitting that he would be the one to greet Din every time he crawls back to HQ, and be less kind and encouraging about it than Hypnos. It's their love language to be mean to the other, that's just how it is XD) All the same, a little bit subtly (at least while I don't have a drawing for Axe) but I'm pushing the Paxe agenda and you cannot to anything about it :P

Fun fact tangent: I think I've mentioned it in the tags for the helmeted Paz post that in order to have to two-character boss battle in the arena of Elysium before Axe can be bothered to drag his ass over there, it would be fun to have a father-son 2v2 fight like with Grogu v Ragnar and Din v Paz. Grogu can 3-shot Ragnar eventually, and then they would disappear from the field, done with their own little rivalry, but Din would have to avoid so much as brushing up against Ragnar, because if he does he's immediately lost dishonourably and would have to crawl his way back to beg for forgiveness.

din is zagreus (uh duh)

omega is melinoe (given)

Omega is Melinoe for a Hades2 AU*, but in this version that is mostly based on Hades (the first, and the only one that I'd actually played) she is leaning more towards Dusa - she's a friend, and is making friends while she stays in the halls, looking for the Bad Batch (and whatever time fuckery makes Rex look like that sometimes while Cody and Wolffe are eternally 20-somethings) and looking for ways and means to help her find them... as well as fleecing any- and everyone in cards. Gotta gather up the credits to hire a bountyhunter if necessary XD

*The next time I lose all my chill and black out for a weekend I'm planning to draw out just Omega, Ventress, and maybe someone else in the Hades2 style. I'll just have to pinpoint exactly where and how I should adjust things with the art style. I swear I never get overambitious, and know full well what's good for me (he said lyingly)

fennec is artemis but specifically in hades 2 (based on the fact that artemis plays a slightly different role in hades 2) rex is skelly (given)

As stated above Fennec has made her way back to being a boon-giver - but I didn't know that Artemis plays differently in Hades2 :o (I haven't played actually, I got overwhelmed by all the magic options when I watched my partner play OTL) Only that she's got a thing for the Moon??

the rancor (?) (i can't ID animals that well don't give me that look) is definitely cerberus

It's a mythosaur, actually. (or at least that's the intention behind it. I'm not entirely sure if there is a proper canon look to a Mythosaur, we mostly only see its skull after all, so I tried my best here with what references I could find on the internet.) He started out as Boba's rancor (so you're not entirely wrong there), but since it felt bad to separate it from Boba, I changed it to a more Mando specific creature. If I were ever to redraw the whole level that is the House of Hades (one can dream), there would be a little pool of water in the corner where Cerberus chills on his pillow, and the Mythosaur would rise from there on occasion.

the armorer i think fits the nyx role, as she's the mother figure of the main character, but she might also fit better as persephone? toss up between her and satine for that i think hang on now i am thinking, because the point of din's journey isn't to escape to find his mother, but to escape to help find someone to train his son, hence why luke is the final "boss". so, the persephone figure in this doesn't necessarily have to be his mother, but someone who can train grogu? in that case, i nominate sabine as persephone (MANDALORIAN JEDI, if you go by ahsoka canon) so: sabine as persephone- but wait. i just had a thought. sabine and ezra as platonic (?) orpheus and eurydice, i AM a genius. okay sabine works as orpheus and ezra as eurydice i think (based solely off the fact that sabine is the one actively looking for ezra, like orpheus is the one actively wanting to reconcile with eurydice [?]), so. i think the armorer works as nyx, because she's kind of a symbol of din's past.. not sure who to put as persephone yet. i mean… persephone symbolises a kind of peace in the underworld, so you could maybe slot satine in? satine as persephone, go

Okay, so first things first: that is such a fascinating theory, (and yes, yes you are a genius <3) I love it! It is all such good logic, and so much more galaxy brained than what I could have come up with, so I hope I won't disappoint with what i have in mind for these characters.

Sabine as a Mandalorian Jedi would be such a cool teacher for Grogu - but I don't think Sabine is up for the existential crisis of "ohmygod, I'm barely a jedi myself, and I'm definitely not old enough to be some 50+ year old baby's master!! D:" She would definitely have more than some insight to share with Luke though. Also just imagine Grogu looking at Sabine like she is the coolest aunt he could ever have (sorry, Fennec). Also also, as stated above and what you have also theorized, Sabine has been cast for the role and spot of Orpheus, looking for Ezra (through Din).

Okay, okay, hear me out: the Armorer as Hades. Her forge would work great as a center of gathering, same as Hades's throne/main desk, and it would be very natural that Din would go there first after arriving back to those halls. (I have so many thoughts about this and how I would want to redraw these halls... someday.) And while she is not the first final boss to beat once Din gets there (just before handing Grogu over to Luke), once Gideon (a temporary final boss) is defeated the Armorer can more than return to her Hades role for beating Din up as "training". Same as Hades and Zagreus do once they reconcile their differences.

And now, that I'm nearing the point why I want all these characters to be forced to gather/hang out in the same spot: Satine is Nyx. I know that she is dead, and we don't care for those tiny details, and I'm not planning to draw her as a shade/Force ghost like Fives, we're just going to ignore this little lore tidbit the same way how we accept that Rex can look both like his gloriously bearded Rebels self, and the fetching captain from the clone wars. We're just not talking about all this.

I deeply love the steel in her spine and her dedication in her ideals and beliefs, and I want to see her clash with the Armorer on what makes and Mandalorian with Sabine and Din (whose idea of what it makes a Mandalorian and to wear Mandalorian armor suffers a great blows through his meetings with Cobb and Boba, and Bo-Katan and her ilk) in the middle. I also feel like the clones would have their own opinion on the matter, even if it would be something like "you all have never cared for us, now leave us alone, we have our own culture".

I would need to do deeper research here for this (as much as I'd be willing to touch this ideological debate) because my knowledge of Mandalorian (or Star Wars, really) lore is all that I occasionally try to google and what I'd picked up from fics and the occasional meta post here on tumblr. But the same way that Nyx disagrees with Hades on some matters, she is still an (if not the most) important pillar of what holds up the underworld; and the same way Satine is just as important in what it makes to be a Mandalorian as the Armorer is to the Children of the Watch.

So I want them to clash (with the added drama when Bo-Katan starts hanging out there around her sister on occasion as well), and then come to a more inclusive understanding of what it makes to be Mandalorian, like what I believe Sabine and Din represent.

I know that Satine is super controversial in the fandom, but I'm willing to die on this hill, even if I'm not very good at articulating my opinions.

okay uh. we have more hades characters than star wars characters, but: echo & fives as sisyphus & bouldy, wolffe as thanatos?

Echo&Fives are to be understood as one character (there has been a thought to cast them for Orpheus and Eurydice, but then gave that storyline to Sabine and Ezra since it fits them so much better, especially after Ahsoka), and they are in Thanatos' spot (no other reason than that I wanted to include them, and they should be hanging out around Cody, Rex and Omega. I know that Thanatos doesn't make it through to Hades2(?) but you see, I don't want to line everyone up 100% with the already existing roles/characters).

With that mismatch it's actually Wolffe and Plo as Sisyphus and Bouldie. Wolffe needs quite a bit of extra work to be won over to become friendly, but once he gets to the world weary sigh of "you are okay, I guess, you can be allowed to meet my General" that's basically a shortcut to finding Grogu an alternate Jedi master, because Plo would just take him on, no problem with attachments and other concerns. There, game won, Din didn't even need to find Luke for that.

this leaves hypnos and dusa- i would like to nominate c3po as dusa, which leaves R2 as a slightly more chaotic hypnos. chopper, of course, is Tiny Vermin. (non-droid characters could be qui-gon as hypnos [idk man, something about the vibes], and… yeah, no, i think c3po fits dusa quite well) on an alternate note, i think padme and her [shade] handmaidens could fit the role of the queen/persephone quite well-- but maybe that's just me being a little padme-biased. anyway! not all of these characters quite fit, and i am in fact aware that you probably don't intend to match up all the characters exactly, but this was a fun little exercise for me!

I ADORE the idea of Chopper as Tiny Vermin XD

I wouldn't want to make Din face the horror that is regular interaction with C3PO (although I'm sure it would work in his favour if they could commiserate with Wolffe on the matter XD), he would never get over his anti-droid sentiments XD So no, sadly no appearance will be here for our favourite (?) gold plated protocol droid,but R2 would definitely be the one to wheel in and project Leia's hologram for Din to interact with, because she is a busy lady after all, he should feel lucky that she would take his calls in the first place when he needs help with getting out of trouble with the X-wing patrols.

And double sadly no Padme either, because I refuse to turn this AU into another Skywalker drama, sorry ^^;

TBC...

[furious-blueberry0]

Ok so, I realized that the canon Clan War didn’t really work in my AU, so I rewrote it

Kiiinndaaaaaa, I made an outline of what is gonna happen! Here it is lol:

Tor is exiled from his family because of his political ideas, and Jaster welcomes him on Concord Dawn, where they start to collaborate in building a mercenary group.

Tor’s ideals start to get more and more extreme, things get heated and the Mercenary group is splitted.

Tor’s half becomes Death Watch and Jaster’s half becomes the True Mandalorians.

Tor wants to take control of Concord Dawn, so that he can have enough resources and warriors to really start a new Age of Conquest, just like the good old times.

He starts a war against Jaster, who he sees as the ultimate traitor, and who built the True Mandos as a way to stop Tor’s mad dream.

Concord Dawn becomes their battleground, and the fights do not only bring death to the mandalorians, but also to the innocents who have no role in this war, but see their homes get destroyed either way in the conflict.

Arla(10) and Jango(5)’s home is destroyed and their parents are killed. Their father had agreed to hide some of Jaster’s wounded warriors in his home, but Death Watch found out and killed them all. Arla and Jango survived by hiding in the fields.

Jaster and the others heard of what happened hours later, and found the children at night, still hidden in the fields.

The fights continue for a few years, Arla and Jango become part of the True Mandos, and neither Jaster nor Tor seem to want to stop the conflict.

The Governor of Concord Dawn has tried for years at this point to make the Assembly care about what’s going on on his planet, but his cries of help, for resources to make these two groups stop destroying his home always fall on deaf ears.

At this point Satine is part of the Assembly, and she becomes interested in what’s going on Concord Dawn, she too tries to talk about it to the rest of the Assembly, but she also does not have too much luck.

She decides she is going to help the Governor of Concord Dawn with the resources of her House, and her and her father, Adonai, go to the planet and try to assess the situation, talk to either Jaster or Tor, and decide how to bring back peace and normality to the planet once and for all.

Adonai and Satine spend 2 years fighting with the True Mandos, to try and arrest the members of Death Watch. Jaster would like to kill them all, but Adonai reminds him that he is already on thin ice for collaborating to the destruction of the planet for his squabble with Tor, so he better behave.

Adonai is killed by Death Watch, and now the Assembly finds the situation on Concord Dawn really interesting, and wants to stop it.

House Vizsla is accused of helping Tor, which was not true, as Lod Vizsla said “If we had helped that wretched cousin of mine, he would have won and destroyed all of you years ago!”, which was not a statement the others in the Assembly liked.

Things start to get heated, House Vizsla fears other Clans might want to attack them, and so they start ammassing more military resources and also keep an eye on old alliances.

The other Clans see this as the proof they were guilty, and so they also start amassing power, in case the others attack.

For one year the conflict is stalled, the two groups on Concord Dawn are waiting, their squabble is becoming bigger than it originally was, and they do not know what the Houses and the Clans are going to do with them. And so they wait.

In this year new alliances are formed, and everyone prepares for the conflict that is going to happen.

Satine’s mother left Mandalorian Space when her husband died, leaving her daughters Satine (18), Meera (8) and Bo-Katan (1) all alone.

Satine leaves her sisters under the protection of Clan Aath, ancient ally of House Kryze, who has various safe houses outside of Mandalorian Space, and where they are sending various children of various clans to safety.

For months nothing moves, everyone’s holding their breath, waiting for the moment the spark will ignite the fire of war.

And the spark comes to life:

Clan Keen, a small clan with almost no power, neither political nor economical or militaristic, had been promised safety by Clan Saxon, ally of House Vizsla, and this alliance was supposed to come to life through the marriage of Andra Keen (13) and Allard Saxon (15).

But the Keen did not want to be allies of the Vizsla, preferring an alliance with Clan Eldar (who was an ally of House Kryze), and so they accepted the proposal of marrying Andra to Ila Eldar (13).

Clan Saxon saw this as a traitorous act, and so, the night after the wedding, they attacked the home of Clan Keen, and killed them all (not Andra, she was with Ila and Clan Eldar)

This event was the spark that ignited the next 3 years of war.

Wrote all this during one of the most boring lessons I ever had at my Uni lol, at least it gave me the time to be creative

[doesntmeanitsmeaningless]

Hi Ailo. I don't know how online you had been this day but just in case here is the recap you didn't ask for 1d news' version:

-Oasis is having a reunion and will do a tour the next summer (funny meme about oasis and Louis, another meme of one direction and this one). I imagine Louis will be the most happy person in the planet right know.

This Oasis reunion has made the fandom had some thoughts: 1. If Oasis can do a reunion so does One Direction 2. Louis could be a tour opener for them 👀🕯🤞3. @thechavier share this theory about H&L and Oasis🤞🕯🙏👀 .

Oasis is also related to Openstage who is a company where Louis has invested so is a double win for him!!!

-Harry was seeing with André 3000, he lately had been seen with a few artists 👀, seems like it was from this other day that he was with Pauli and Yaffra.

-Now Narry news: Harry was at Niall's show in Manchester today!!!!Everyone was freaking out (myself inclueded), Harry was so happy dancing a lot, clapping, whistling, it was beautiful, not surprise duet thought 🤡 but we did clown for a few moments because he went from the vip box to the side of the stage at some point. He did leave before the last song end it lol, he didn't follow the 1d rules and harry's rules to not leave before the show ends.

I think my favorite part was him dancing during Stockholm Syndrome and filming that part. I don't know if you saw this but I did a post a long time ago about the color tribute of the 1d boys during that song at Niall's show so I think is so beautiful that Harry was able to see that too.

-We got the Louis Tomlinson: Live !!!! If you only want high in california and wdbhg here is the other link, thanks to @highwaytosomewhere , Meg saves us all!!!. Also the links for kill my mind and only the brave.

P.S.: -I don't know if you saw that at the Victorious Festival Louis try during barricade to drink from a beverage of a fan? Lol only Louis.

-Another extra note, a few days ago Niall sing Little things with Ed Sheeran and today Ed have this funny answer to a fan about the 1d reunion. I do hope he at least try to be a wizard and helps us with the 1d reunion, we need all the help we can get.

And that is it for the recap, I hope you are having a wonderful day/afternoon/night. Let me know what you think about all of this and if this was helpful or a waste of time because you were in fact online and this recap wasn't necessary hahaha.

Te mando un abrazo.

CC!!! A recap I didn’t ask for!!! AMAZING!!!

And I apologise for the delay!!! I used up my data, and we had to abandon our vacation due to illness. I just got home.

This is such a great update!! And I’ll respond more later, but want to put this beauty in the world asap! This needs to be shared with everyone one who was offline or wants a recap!! 🫶🫶🫶

[swinging-through-the-stars]

Okay, Sith!Luke au sounds incredible!!! I haz questions

What's Din's whole perspective on things? Is he (like canon) blissfully unaware of who and what Luke is? Does he know and just not care? Is he just doing anything to protect Grogu, only to realize that the 'teacher' is very dangerous but has also imprinted on Din just as much as Din has fallen for him?

What about Grogu? Does he understand the darkness in Luke? Is he averse to it? Or does he go all in on the dark side to protect his dad?

OOOOHHH YES YES YES I'd LOVE to get into Din and Grogu stuff! (I'm realizing this will be another long one so there's your warning lol)

As for Din --

In my AU, after the Death Star blows up in 0 ABY, Luke begins to take personal undercover missions to continue undermining the Empire. To stay anonymous, he hires an untraceable mercenary that doesn't ask questions and is also not fond of the Empire - this is where Din Djarin comes in. (Din doesn't have a lot developed pre-Mando season 1 other than he's been bounty-hunting - and before that - taking mercenary jobs for a while, so why not utilize that for a story I want?) While working with Luke in this time period, Din has absolutely no idea who Luke is other than he carries a "red laser-sword" and doesn't show his face. He knows Luke as The Stranger, and for a few years takes jobs from Luke since he pays very well (that Empire money eh). Din is vaguely aware that his jobs have small impacts on the war against the Empire, so he is fine with complying, especially since they are relatively low-risk.

Things take a turn in 4 ABY when Luke hires Din to rescue Han Solo from Jabba's Palace. (one of the few pieces of fic I finished -- FREE SOLO) In this mission, Din sees Luke's face, learns his name (however doesn't recognize it from anywhere), and learns that he KNOWS specific people that a key to the rebellion (Lando, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca). The whole ordeal puts Din in more trouble than he bargains for. Luke declares an end to their business relationship because of this and cuts Din off, but it doesn't kill Din's festering curiosity as to who Luke is. He doesn't pursue further, but that curiosity lingers until they meet again.

Luke and Din meet again in a way that mirrors the end of Season 2 of Mando (because I thought it was a fun idea, and YES I have managed to write that out too -- SHADOW ON THE BRIDGE). This is where Din learns that Luke is not only a Sith, but the EMPEROR of the Neo Empire. I've been (ever so slowly) updating the fic of the aftermath of that, where Din meets with Luke again and where they begin to have those conversations of what will happen to Grogu.

In this next fic - First Steps into Darkness - I do want to explore how Din takes up the mantle of Mand'alor and how he uses his previous relationship with Luke to rebuild his world and also create an alliance to further push the Imperial Remnant threat out of the galaxy. Din deals with opinions about this from all sides, from Bo-Katan who has a difficult time trusting Luke, to Din's Clan that are between against and neutral on the matter. (Also keep in mind that I've been planning this part of the story before Mando S3 -- I do use some aspects of S3 but also very much divert from it).

What keeps Din coming back to Luke is ultimately his curiosity, both in Luke's abilities as a leader/negotiator and in him being this mysterious entity. Luke's fervor for his religion, his quest for familial answers, his internal battle of identity -- these are all things that Din relates to. (Luke's a bit more of a hot mess than Din is but -- you know, they have commonalities that they can lean on).

I also really like the concept of the Darksaber having its own sort of Force sentience to the point where Din has to work with it (it's a little like Haunted!Din but instead of outright possession it's more like -- Venom, or something like that, where they work together). Having Luke as a resource to navigate that territory further connects the two.

Needless to say, despite what rumors and warnings Din has been given, he doesn't understand why the "Dark Side" of the Force is considered the "bad" Force and why the "Light Side" is considered the "good". Perhaps it's because he's only really interacted with Luke, and perhaps it's because Mandalorians have a checkered history with getting along with "Light Side" Jedi users as well. His perspective could be biased or he probably just believes that Luke is not what others want to make him seem. Either way, the fact that Luke is a Sith doesn't necessarily make Din distrust him outright, especially since he's the only one that will agree to help hone Grogu's powers.

OKAY, ONTO GROGU -- YEAH THERE'S MORE --

Since's Luke's appearance in rescuing them from Gideon's Cruiser, Grogu is INTRIGUED with Luke and the pull to the Dark Side. In his little mind, Luke is powerful, really cool, and can make Gideon pee his pants -- of course he sees that and goes "ooh I wanna be like that guy".

First Steps into Darkness, while I mentioned will go into some of Din's story, will ultimately be a focus on Grogu (when I eventually finish it lol). I think child characters (especially cute bait like Grogu) often get the short end of the stick in terms of development, and it's SUCH a missed opportunity in my eyes. Children have very simple and blunt observations, and they SOAK up the world around them -- putting the mess of Sith Luke and through GROGU'S perspective is so fun to me.

Luke is not afraid of teaching Grogu, but he's afraid of Grogu idolizing him like HE did Vader. Despite Luke's attachment to his father, Vader was -- NOT really the best father, and deep down Luke knows that and is afraid. He keeps a distance from Grogu that Grogu is always trying to close. Grogu knows that Luke is just a teacher and that he's often not very personable with him. But Grogu sees how Luke's power has the ability to protect, he sees something in him like did with Din (who was also not very warm at first). Grogu believes that if he learns what Luke knows, he can too can become that protector that can stop wars and help those he cares about.

Grogu also continues to learn from Din about Mandalorian culture, so he isn't completely split between one or the other -- in fact, Luke encourages Din to keep sharing his roots with his son. The teachings of both Mandalorians and Sith are eventually the teachings that shape Grogu's perspective on loyalty, emotions, power, and so on. He's observant as hell, so he soaks everything up like a SPONGE.

And let's be honest, the Grogu realizing he could learn some tricks that maybe the Jedi forbade sounds a bit fun to him. He is still a kid after all.

Sorrynotsorry that was long -- I love talking about these concepts, and honestly answering these questions is helping me type out my thoughts to use as reference later. It's getting me fired up to keep writing and editing too.

Thank you again for the questions @just-prime -- I hope you found this interesting!!

[anna-dreamer]

(I apologize in advance that this one is rather angry. I am in a dark mood, and it's not hard to see why.) So, about predetermined morality and second chances. It got me thinking about Lay of Leithian the rock opera, in the way it exists in Skazki iteration. I took me a while to warm up to it for many different reasons, and one of those reasons was its opening number. I remember, before i saw the whole show, watching a YouTube video with just that song. I didn't like it because it was Námo's number. I still hold the same feelings over this creative decision, although i do really love Polina's direction and many thigs in LoL are now dear to me.

I really don't think Námo is the right character to present this story to the audience, for this story is not his. The Lord of Doom, the cold and reclusive Vala, the one who says things like Not the first, he doesn't get to say something like Слушайте, люди, песню о Лэйтиан. He is not the one who reaches out and shares, he is not the one who narrates and empathizes, he is not the one who releases from bondage - he is the judge, he is the restrictor, and he is the jailer, he is an antagonist to anyone who challenges the Fate. (Well, to most people.) And here lies my issue. This opening number is supposed to explain to the audience why the narrative they are about to witness is a meaningful, worthwhile story. First of all, the characters of it suffered like no others (more than you people, honestly i am not fond of this implication) because they blazed the trail to a new kind of fate. Second of all, they walked a tough path, they did not know what to expect, a lot of times they struggled against a powerful current of fate (though it rather sounds like it picked them up and carried them). That is why we remember them to this day. And you too should remember these great characters; but you also should remember that their deeds made the Black Crown roll onto the ground; you should remember those sacramental lines we love to repeat, мрак не вечен and Враг не всесилен. And now pray tell me, Námo, what does any of this have to do with you?! Wasn't it you along with other Valar who let the Enemy out? Wasn't it you who was supposed to protect Arda from him - and failed to do so? Wasn't it you who abandoned in to fight the Enemy in a hopeless battle which was your responsibility in the first place? You don't get to join in with those who actually suffered, you don't get to claim you share their plight. You are the reason they suffered. One could argue that Námo was convinced by Lúthien, that she showed him the error of his ways, he learned a lesson, hence him opening LoL with those words. Except this is not what happened. Lúthien was singled out by Námo in the first place supposedly because "somehow" she did not find peace in Mandos. Námo, of course, says that there has never been such a case before - yet i will never buy that. In those very Halls Míriel Þerindë abides, and her son Fëanor, and her husband Finwë - those three already hold so much unresolved grief i find it really hard to believe they are just chilling, all good, no problem whatsoever. Not to mention all those elves who never wanted to go to Aman in the first place and must be really struggling in that valarin brainwashing machine! Mandos is not a happy place, and yet only Lúthien somehow gets Námo to listen. Why? I honestly feel like he listened because Narrative Bias, because it is just this kind of story, because Love Conquers All and all that jazz. That is bad enough because SO MANY OTHERS deserve a chance, not mercy even but actual justice, yet only Beren and Lúthien get it because of this prebuilt morality. They are worthy because they are worthy. We are not supposed to question it. Nevermind that everyone else gets to be effectively cast as unworthy ones. But there is another layer, and it is not exactly text-based, but my current reality is such that this reading becomes inescapable. By taking it upon himself to explain LoL to us Námo appropriates its narrative in order to absolve himself of any responsibility. He praises Beren and Lúthien and gives lip service to all the things that people he oppresses actually want - safety, freedom to choose their own fate, a brighter future, the Enemy defeated. Yet the truth is he is the reason and the enabler of such a reality where hardly any of it happens. I hate this. The opening number to Lay of Leithian belongs not to a Vala - but to a human narrator. If we must take inspiration in a biased story about Tolkien's favorite lovebirds, then let us at least do it on our own terms.

[raveneira]

Hola amiga. Me alegra mucho saludarte y escribirte.

Cómo ya sabrás me gustan muchísimo tus análisis, me siento muy contenta cada vez que los leo, por eso estoy aquí pidiendo que nos hables sobre lo que piensas que pasará con sarada cuando descubra que sasuke está mal. Y también que nos hables de lo que piensas de la última interacción que tuvo kawasara, que te pareció?

Espero no ser inoportuna. Te mando un abrazo. Gracias por tus escritos.

No no its ok you didnt do anything wrong, I dont mind answering questions lol and Im glad you like my analysis, I appreciate your positive feedback so thank you.

As for what I think Sarada might do when she discovers Sasuke is wrong [thats what google translated it as] I think you mean when she discovers he's been turned into a tree? if so then I think she'll be pretty worried but she wont blame Boruto or have any anger towards him because this writing ALWAYS has to make her just so understanding and forgiving towards him about EVERYTHING but NOT others because this manga forgot that her idol was Naruto and she literally said she wanted to be like him, someone people can rely on who she'll reach out to and save the way Naruto saved her, but again this manga done forgot that character trait unfortunately.

So what do I think is gonna happen? she'll be shocked and upset but wont blame Boruto and instead blame herself for sending her dad off with him which got him into this situation because of her selfish request, which may open the door FINALLY for some big character development because this is NOT the first time her selfishness and recklessness has resulted in somebody else getting hurt.

So maybe this might be the time for Sarada to get some long overdue character development as she finally realizes her actions, or more correctly, LACK of action has consequences, and that when she jumps in or makes requests without thinking long term about the consequences or even if its a good idea to begin with, she's gotta deal with the consequences of it which more often than not will be negative.

Boruto no longer has his eye because of her, Sasuke has been turned into a tree unconscious while a 10 tails tree clone of him is eventually gonna try and kill them all because of her, HER CHOICES caused this outcome, the only positive that came out of something she did so far was saving Boruto's life, but at what cost? she saved Boruto at the cost of her father, she 'protected' Boruto at the cost of his eye because he ended up protecting her instead, do you see the pattern here? so hopefully seeing her father as a tree finally gives her a wake up call that she NEEDS to do better going forward and actually THINK before she does things instead of just acting in the moment without any thought of how things could go wrong.

Naruto was headstrong and reckless too, but he never caused THIS type of bad shit to happen as a result of his recklessness because even HE used his brain somewhat before he acted. The worst hes done was willingly let Kurama take over to attack Orochimaru for taking Sasuke which resulted in him attacking Sakura and giving her a really bad wound, which when told he caused this what do you think he did? he never let Kurama take over like that again and vowed to rely on his own strength so he would NEVER cause harm to anyone else like that ever again.

Sarada unfortunately has not learned that lesson yet which she should've when she made Boruto lose his eye but I digress...maybe this development was saved for the timeskip so lets see if she finally gets it after seeing what happened to her dad, only time will tell.

Now onto how I feel about the KawaSara interaction this chapter...well Im gonna be brutally honest, I dont HATE it but I dont love it either and its not even because the interaction itself was bad nah I actually like their little rivalry they have right now, it adds spice and an obstacle Kawaki has to deal with but also the one person [besides Sumire] he doesnt have to watch his words with and can just be himself with. But let me get my gripes out of the way first and then I'll go into the positives.

My gripe with the interaction is Sarada's attitude and dialogue because it just makes her look both stupid and petty for no danm reason

First off shes telling them to confirm with Ada about what happened, why is she let alone ANYONE treating Ada as a reliable source when she didnt even warn them about Code's ambush? when she didnt even send Daemon out to fight him which is LITERALLY the whole reason their all even letting them stay there? lets not forget that Ada can easily just LIE about anything she wants like she did about Boruto killing Naruto, they literally have specialized ninja that they KNOW are trustworthy who actually DO work for them that they could ask to verify Sarada's story by peeking into her brain but no she chooses to reccomend asking Ada for confirmation, thats dumbass moment number 1.

Her remark about Kawaki being Otsutsuki too was just plain PETTY for no danm reason, and stupid as hell in this context because Boruto has Momo inside of him [pause] actively trying to take him over so he can kill Kawaki, make a divine tree, destroy all life on the planet to make a chakra fruit so he can eat it and become a god, SHE KNOWS THIS

Yet shes comparing that to Kawaki who doesnt have Isshiki looming over him threatening to take over at any time, he simply has his powers, and with his powers he wants to wipe out ALL OTHER OTSUTSUKI WHO ARE ACTUAL THREATS TO THE WORLD and that INCLUDES Boruto since he DOESNT HAVE CONTROL OVER MOMOSHIKI AND HE IS SHOWN SEVERAL TIMES ABLE TO TAKE OVER BORUTO WHENEVER HE WANTS UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, so her comment here was just petty, which made Kawaki's response all the more depressing.

He explains to her that he's an Otsutsuki that kills Otsutsuki and that his power only exists to do that, and once he wipes them all out he'll gladly die, but until then he will do whatever it takes, and she has ZERO reaction to this and just says she wont let him do what he wants as a shinobi who aims to be Hokage 🤦‍♀️ like everything he said literally went in one ear and out the other GIRL BYE.

He's literally calling her out on her stupidity and she doesnt even catch it, she was petty pretty much saying well if all Otsutsuki are enemies are enemies that should be killed doesnt that include you, and his response is yea it does and I fully intend to die with all the rest of em but not till I get them first, and she just...she just doesnt even hear that.

You'd think there'd atleast be a pause like 'danm I didnt mean for you to actually agree to that' but nah she just moved past that like he didnt even say it and is just like 'I wont let you do what you want' when thats literally what hes been doing for 3 years straight while she's been getting nothin but ignored 😭 seriously this writing hates her so much because who tf really thought this was good dialogue for her? this only works if she was actually DOING something to hinder Kawaki in some way, which she hasnt, so she just looks goofy and unserious.

But thats it for my gripes, now for my positives.

For starters I like how this confrontation resembles their one back in chapter 28 when they first really interacted and they became friends

I love how even though the subject their arguing about is different, the paneling is still the same, Sarada appearing behind Kawaki and calling him out for doing something wrong despite not knowing all the details, Kawaki turning around and getting in her face to tell her off, and the Hokage stopping it from before it gets ugly and they both settle down as their told.

What I like about this is that when you look at these scenes side by side you can see the development between then and now, back then Kawaki had ZERO respect for Sarada, called her an asshole and basically told her to mind her business while yelling in her face.

Now Kawaki doesnt snap at her at all, the roles are actually reversed now to where Sarada is the one being more hostile than he is. Kawaki, unlike before, doesnt just shut her down and tell her to mind her business, but he actually takes time to explain to her when he really doesnt have to. See here.

Kawaki says does he really have to say this again? meaning they have had this conversation before more than once, so he has no reason to repeat himself anymore than he already has and could easily have brushed her off without saying a thing or just simply told her to shut up and butt out but he didnt.

Instead he takes time to not only repeat himself, but breaks down in detail EXACTLY what his motivations are, why hes doing this, and that he fully intends to die for all he's done by the end of this. Just like before, he gets in her face, but its nowhere near as aggressive as in 28 where he was actually being intimidating, but here he's relaxed, talking calm, and looking her in the eye, and responding to what she said, rather than ignoring it completely and just yelling at her to shut up.

Why is that significant? because his last line really hits home when you realize the subtext and see how meaningful it is.

Think about this for a second, for 3 years now everyone has been brainwashed into thinking he's Boruto, have been treating him like Boruto, have remembered him as Boruto, have been looking at him, talking to him, loving/respecting him AS BORUTO.

Sarada is the ONLY person [lets leave Sumire out of this cuz we havent seen them interact yet] who treats Kawaki AS Kawaki, the only one who when she's talking to him she's talking to KAWAKI, when shes thinking of him shes thinking of KAWAKI, when she looks at him she sees KAWAKI, anyway she treats him she is treating him as KAWAKI.

This may not seem significant on the surface but lemme put it into a little more perspective.

This is what Kawaki has had to deal with every, single, day, for 3 years straight since Omnipotence happened. Kawaki never WANTED or ASKED for ANY of this, but no matter how hard he tried everything just kept going more and more to shit because of him, but atleast back then he still had his own identity, but now? everyday is a whole new kind of hell he has to endure that wont go away no matter how much he rejects it.

Just before Omnipotence Kawaki said what he really felt about himself, what he saw himself as, and thats what makes this situation he's in now so hellish, because to Kawaki he's a nobody, an outsider that nobody would mourn if he died, he tells Ada to use her all seeing eye to look at him and see him for the powerless piece of garbage that he is.

This is what he thinks of himself, now lets see what he thinks of Boruto and then it'll all make sense.

Kawaki puts Boruto on a pedastal similar to Naruto but not nearly as strong obviously, but the point is, Kawaki sees Boruto as someone who NOBODY WILL BE WILLING TO KILL, as someone nobody would even CONSIDER killing regardless of the threat he poses, as the HOKAGES SON literally NOBODY would EVER turn against him, and NOBODY would ever even think of killing him knowing the consequences of nobody ever forgiving them for it.

Keywords to pay attention to here

He's the Hokage's son! Lord 7ths son!

Who in Konoha could kill him? the Hokages son?

An act that would turn all your friends into foes! who'd ever agree to take on such a task?

Why'd it have to be him!?

Kawaki emphasizes Boruto being 'The Hokage's son' several times, but I want you to pay attention to how he says 'Lord 7ths son' as well, remember chapter 60? Naruto officially claims Kawaki as his son, even if not on paper, Kawaki was just as much his son as Boruto now.

But look at how Kawaki percieves it, HE doesnt see himself as Naruto's son at all and sadly Naruto didnt do a good job convincing him, because when he mercy killed Boruto BY HIS REQUEST Naruto did NOT stand by him and kept his distance, acting awkward around him, and even sounding forced when he tried to give the 'everyone is family to the Hokage' speech which alone right there showed the distance between them now, because in chapter 60 Kawaki was his son, in 69 he's the same as any other villager and believe me, Kawaki felt that and thats why none of his attempts at reassuring him worked because he knew it wasnt entirely genuine and that he indeed held some resentment towards Kawaki for what he did, that Kawaki clearly was nowhere near the same importance as Boruto and that in the end Naruto would turn his back on Kawaki before he ever would Boruto no matter WHAT hes done or will do.

Am I dragging Naruto? no, obviously his bond with his biological son will be stronger than the one with his adopted one hes only known less than a year. But I will say when has that ever stopped Naruto before? he only really bonded with Iruka for a year before the timeskip and he viewed him like a father, he only interacted and bonded with Sasuke for a year and he considered him a brother he was willing to go to hell and back for, he knew Gaara for less than a year and he was IN TEARS when he heard the Akatsuki had attacked and killed him and nearly beat Deidara to death so bad Kakashi had to use the seal to calm him down before he went full Kurama mode.

So keep in mind while I do understand where Naruto is coming from as a parent, I still have to point out the inconsistency with his character because blood ties have NEVER mattered to him but it was always the BONDS he felt with the people themselves, whether short lived or long, Naruto always clung to those bonds WITH HIS LIFE and he instills this very message into Sarada in Gaiden, yes, the same Naruto in the sequel now, not past young Naruto like people try to argue saying 'he grew up' cuz no, this is grown parent of two kids Naruto preaching the EXACT SAME MINDSET.

So yeah, Im calling out the inconsistency with his character in the sequel because THIS IS HOW KISHIMOTO WROTE HIM EVEN IN THE PRESENT ERA its literally what the entire plotline of Gaiden was about, learning to value and treasure your bonds regardless of blood ties. Naruto literally grew up without NO family do he literally had to FIND and MAKE one for himself, and hes never done any more or less for his blood fam than he did for his found family.

But unfortunately thats no longer the case in Boruto so lets get back to that.

So you see the point? Naruto, atleast in the sequel is a total liar, he promised to keep Kawaki safe, he made him feel like this was his home, told him that they all see him as family now, he called him his son, everybody was telling him that this is his home now no matter what anyone says his place is in Konoha and Kawaki was almost starting to believe it.

But when Naruto's biological son was killed by Kawaki at his request everything changed, nobody was on his side, nobody visited him even though they didnt even know the truth of what happened yet, Naruto wasnt looking at him with sincerity anymore and his words were scripted word for word just what he always says to everybody, but not anything personal from the heart like he usually does. Yes their conversation was interupted, but he never made any attempt to continue it either and simply left Kawaki to sit with his half hearted 'forgiveness' anyone who knows Naruto knew it wasnt sincere.

So where am I going with this? that was the turning point, that is when Kawaki realized and accepted that he was completely and utterly alone and felt isolated from everyone else.

This is why he says what he does to Ada and why his words hit so hard because they let you see just how utterly ALONE and REJECTED he actually feels. He doesnt feel like hes a part of Konoha, he doesnt feel like Narutos son, he doesnt feel like anyone would care if he died, its literally PROVEN right then and there how easy it was for them to put a kill order out on him without hesitation just for THINKING he did something to Naruto and ATTEMPTING to kill Boruto but none of these people gave a DANM when Boruto stabbed Sasuke's eye out, tried to kill Kawaki twice, tried to kill Naruto, oh and ironically tried to get Shikamaru killed too, the same guy who put a kill order out on Kawaki didnt push for any kind of punishment on Boruto.

'But that was Momoshiki' so what? who's body is he in? who's body did he use to commit all those horrible acts? when Gaara kept failing to be able to control the one tails his dad tried to have him killed before he'd end up destroying the village [no I am not defending Rasa fk that guy Im just pointing out the principle] if somebody is a danger to the village, even if its of no fault of their own, IF THEY ARE A THREAT TO THE VILLAGE then they have to be eliminated, so the it was Momoshiki excuse doesnt fly because regardless they have NO way of controling Momoshiki and preventing him from coming out, nor do they have a concrete way of forcing him back once hes taken over unless under very specific circumstances which even then if he feels like thats gonna happen he can dip to another dimension through his karma and they'll have a hell of a hard time finding him if he does.

Bottom line? Kawaki saw that for him he was disposable, he was a nobody, someone they didnt care if he died and would kill easily without hesitation and NOBODY would complain, but Boruto? let me repeat Kawaki's words.

He's the Hokage's son! Lord 7ths son!

Who in Konoha could kill him? the Hokages son?

An act that would turn all your friends into foes! who'd ever agree to take on such a task?

Why'd it have to be him!?

Do I need to say more? Boruto is the Hokage's son, Naruto's son, NOBODY in Konoha would ever dream of killing him, because killing Boruto would turn literally everyone against them regardless of what harm he's caused and what threat he poses for the future, they will be hated for it BECAUSE HE IS THE HOKAGE'S SON.

And because Kawaki is the only one strong enough to do it and accept all the consequences that comes with it, he's the one suffering that exact fate, but whats saddest about all this...is that everything he thought about himself was proven right, every awful thing he thought about himself was proven 100% right.

So what does that have to do with his and Sarada's convo there? well I needed to break down all of what happened beforehand so I could say how much it probably means to Kawaki that Sarada isnt affected.

The reason I needed to point all that out was to make sense of why being treated like Boruto by everyone is so hellish, because he KNOWS how they really feel about him, they say it to him constantly.

Mitsuki is always following Kawaki around full of bloodlust that Kawaki says is suffocating and Mitsuki keeps saying how he wont forgive and definitely will kill Boruto for what he did

You have 2 random Jonin he's working with protecting the village just casually talking about how good it would be if Boruto and Code took eachother out

Then you have Hima calling him big brother the way she would Boruto which only irritates him more because he knows that affection isnt for him which is why he rejects it so harshly

So imagine how relieving it must be for Kawaki to have someone that he doesnt have to listen wish him dead to his face without even knowing it, someone not full of bloodlust wanting his head on a stake, someone not calling out to him affectionately because they think he's someone he isnt, and most of all...someone that he knows without a doubt that whatever she says or does for him, is for HIM.

So quite frankly her hostility contrary to popular belief actually doesnt even bother him, he welcomes it because he feels its what he deserves and more than that because its the only genuine thoughts and feelings aimed at him, unfortunately we dont have enough chapters yet to see the full scope of how this has gotten to him but I imagine 3 years of being seen as someone your not has to be EXHAUSTING, so even if Sarada is being hostile towards him, it probably means the world to him that shes one person who sees him for who he really is, Kawaki, not Boruto.

His words to her in that last panel is what made it clear to me that he actually doesnt mind her opposing him, he tells her point blank that he plans to die once he has wiped out all the Otsutsuki threats there are, why thats significant is because he'd never have to say this to anyone else, why? cuz they think he's Boruto so why does he need to tell them his goals as Kawaki? even if he did why would he tell them he's gonna off himself at the end of it? there'd be no reason to.

Not only that but he's said this more than once to her, implying they've bumped heads about this exact subject more than once, which again if Kawaki was annoyed by her and wanted to be left alone he would've never got into this conversation in the first place and just ignored her or told her to shut up. The fact that they've talked about this more than once says alot, because Kawaki has no reason to, once was enough, but if Kawaki is taking time out to explain the same thing over and over to her then thats more than enough proof that shes different from everyone else.

Everyone else he drowns out, ignores, or tells to stop acting or speaking to him a certain way, but Sarada? no matter how many times she confronts him about this same subject, he always takes time to explain it. You could say that was just exposition for the readers but in that case why have him say he was repeating himself? he could've just said 'Do I really have to spell it out for you?' which leads to the same exposition witn NO implications of them ever having this convo before, but the fact that they specified that he was repeating this, means they wanted the audience to know this was NOT the first time they've had this talk.

Personally, like I said we need to get more insight into Kawaki's thoughts now before I can make a accurate analysis, but personally and this is me being unbiased and basing it solely on Kawaki's character up till this point, but I feel like in his own subconscious way he enjoys Sarada's company and hostility towards him because its the one thing he knows is for him, it probably puts him at ease whenever Sarada confronts him about anything because its the only time where he can be himself now without being looked at as weird or OOC because hes not acting like Boruto, he was probably relieved when it was revealed she wasnt affected because it meant he wasnt totally alone with only Ada who he cant stand knowing the truth, but his former friend/teammate.

I imagine he felt indifference towards Sumire because she made it clear she was scared of him ever since she found out he killed Boruto, but until we get some actual interaction or thoughts from either of them we wont know for sure.

Anyway, I personally feel like Kawaki keeps repeating himself when he doesnt have to because she's the only one he can to. Unless injured or getting a check up Kawaki doesnt interact with Sumire at all, and Sumire from what we've seen so far has been keeping a low profile since she sees the situation is hopeless trying to convince people at this point, but Sarada is the complete opposite and is persistent no matter how many times she fails she is very loudly and vocally opposing Kawaki and Konoha. She says herself that she wont repeat herself too, meaning she's also said this to Kawaki more than once as well, and thats that she wont let him do what he wants as a ninja who aims to be Hokage.

These words are crucial because she's said this to Kawaki more than once about her Hokage dream, usually something that gets repeated alot in the Narutoverse by someone, especially to someone in particular, usually ends up having a really big significance in their relationship down the line. See Sasuke's 'your annoying' for example or him calling Naruto Usuratonkachi, or of course the 'because your my friend'. It doesnt matter what it is, if its something thats repeated consistently, its gonna have some big significance be it romantic or platonic, either way its gonna mean something big for those characters.

Anyway going back to Sarada, the fact that Sarada has been repeating herself too on this same issue just goes to show how adament and consistent she's been in opposing him, unlike in chapter 28 where she backed down and felt nervous when Kawaki got in her face, now she stands firm and looks him straight in the eye the same way he does her. He's not trying to intimidate her, but make her understand the situation and his perspective, and Sarada isnt trying to intimidate or threaten him either, but make him understand that she wont go along with doing things this way and wont back down no matter what, because the way Kawaki and Shikamaru is running things isnt how Naruto would've wanted, which is why she is their biggest opposers because she looked up to Naruto and wanted to do things the Naruto way.

Its no coincidence that in the very first chapter Sarada tells Shikamaru off about disagreeing with her opposition, its no coincidence that she snapped back using Naruto as her example of going against everyone to fight for what and who she believes in and tells him that the Hokage she looks up to is Naruto not him.

Then in chapter 4 she's now telling Kawaki something similar, that she wont let him do things his way as a ninja who aims to be Hokage, but not just any Hokage, but Naruto.

I dont want this to get too long so I'll sum up my final thoughts.

I believe Kawaki is relieved and subconsciously enjoys Sarada opposing him and is probably lowkey happy to not be alone in this situation with nobody he could talk to as just himself, to look at someone and be looked at and know that their looking at him, being around Sarada is probably the only time he can actually breathe without being subjected to brainwashed people treating him like someone hes not, or hearing this and that person wishing him dead, but with Sarada he can actually just speak and act as himself.

But most importantly anything she does or says to him will mean so much more to him than anyone else because from lets say Hima or Shikadai or even Inojin, if one of them were to get badly hurt or even die for him Kawaki will know its only because they thought he was Boruto and that they never would've done that if they knew it was him. But if Sarada does that, it'll have so much more weight now due to omnipotence because not only is she unaffected by it which means she did this KNOWING its for Kawaki, but the fact that even after everything hes done and how mad she is at him for it, she still put her life on the line for him or any other big gesture she'd do that'd show she cares. So when that moment happens its definitely gonna be an interesting scene, assuming Ikemoto doesnt botch it somehow...we shall see.

As for Sarada I believe in her own roundabout way she's trying to make Kawaki see that this isnt what Naruto would want, that in her own way she's trying to make him see the flaws in his logic, when she said he's and Otsutsuki too she wasnt saying that he should just off himself now or that she wanted him to die but that if all Otsutsuki are the enemy no matter what their motives are then doesnt that make him an enemy as well? regardless of his motives? and if all Otsutsuki must die simply for being Otsutsuki then shouldnt she just kill him right now? not that she could but she could try, she could say 'I will kill you someday' or some other death threat if she were actually saying he should die 100% and thats what she wanted but she doesnt.

Overall Sarada is just trying to make Kawaki see the holes in his logic, to make him see that this isnt what Naruto would've wanted, that trying to carry the weight of it all by himself isnt gonna be effective long term, especially now when something FAR BIGGER is going on that only Boruto knows about, so regardless of how he feels they are gonna have to set aside their differences and work together to deal with a far bigger threat and resolve a way bigger problem. Kawaki doesnt even argue with her about that, he listens to her and hears her out and most likely will agree to it since that will be the most efficient course of action.

Hopefully this will start to make him see that the solo route isnt the way, which if the FF isnt retconned we know it wont be, but maybe for a moment he'll see sometimes teamwork is nessecary and that he really CANT do it all alone. I believe thats the message Sarada is trying to send to him, the same one Naruto sent Sasuke, whether or not she'll be successful remains to be seen but for now I look forwards to seeing how they both develop from here and hear even more about whats been going on between them over these 3 years.

Antis think them being at odds and rivals with eachother now is somehow a negative that kills the ship when thats literally how many endgame ships interacted for a while before eventually coming together lol like ppl fr just gonna act like Jerza, Zervis, VegeBul, Taiga x Ryu, Tonari no kaibatsu-kun, Suzuka, Reimei no Arcana, and so on don't exist.

So like...I dunno, maybe ppl just aint seen alot of manga/anime or hell even media in general but regardless this really aint the ship killer antis think it is, its honestly just the beginning lol but Im never one to count chickens too early so I wont get too cocky, but antis need to start bein humble too cuz they are WAY too confident about KawaSara's downfall when things are just gettin good lol but hey more material for us to laugh at later when their once again wrong about everything they say about the ship and what'll happen etc.

I apologize for the lost post but I wanted to properly express my thoughts as best and clearly as I could but I might've over explained 😭 my apologies...but I hope you enjoyed my little breakdown regardless.

[oh-three]

Ahsoka Ep5:

Okay, the camera shots for the opening were perfect.

Omg, I forgot they left Huyang. That poor droid. "I told them to stay together. But they never listen." 😭

HIS FOOTSTEPS ARE ECHOING. TELL ME HE'S NOT VADER.

"One is never too old to learn, Snips." Yeah, you'd know.

Hey, that is Anakin's lightsaber after all.

"I won't fight you." "I've heard that before." 😭

Seeing Anakin in his ROTS era again, dueling someone, it's like time didn't go by at all. The nostalgiaaaaaa.

HE IS FORCE-SENSITIVE.

CHOPPER can't use the Force, Hera.

Does Jacen know he's Force sensitive?? Holy shit, he can hear them fighting

KANAN MENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it took them five episodes to mention him.

OKAY, ANAKIN. CHILL.

CLONE WARS FLASHBACK!!!!!!!!!

HE HAS THE ARMOR.

LIVE-ACTION REX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, that's totally Ryloth omg.

"Do you even want a Padawan?" Says Anakin, who'd claimed not to want one but had taken Ahsoka anyway.

There's something very significant here about Anakin walking away with his lightsaber in the same position as the one he'd had walking toward the Jedi Temple during Knightfall.

Huyang's description of Anakin as "intense" is so right lol.

SIEGE OF MANDALOREEEEEE

REX DIALOGUE.

Aww, Anakin praising Ahsoka over how Mandalore went.

OH. OH, THAT LIGHTSABER IS RED NOW.

BACK OFF, VADERKIN.

This scene is fucking awesome.

The musiccccccc.

The rising water, the peaceful gradualness of it, reminds me of the Living Waters of Mandalore from Mando S3.

Also, the sunlight coming into the Ghost- it reminds me of that one scene of Andor.

remembers that no one knows what Sabine's done yet

HEY, SHE'S WEARING WHITE. Talk about rebirth. (the whole Gandalf thing)

Ahsoka standing there and sensing what happened between Sabine and Baylan.

"It's the fleet. They're on their way....I don't think they're coming to help." Yeahhh, we knew this was coming.

I see you up there, purrgil. Her plan is definitely to use the purrgil to help them follow Morgan.

They're literally just gonna use the purrgil to gtfo of there and deal with the New Republic when they get back Lmaooooo. Once a rebel, always a rebel.

Oh god, this scene is painfully peaceful. LOOK AT ALL THOSE PURRGIL. Now I'm sad all over again with the tragedies of Rebels S4.

Yep, that's a fleet, alright.

Carson being an MVP. The "oh boy" look on his face 😂

Man, the New Republic sucks.

Oh, so Hera did tell Jacen about Ezra and the purrgil.

Damnnnn, Disaster Lineage is at its finest right here. Flying into the purrgil's mouth for transportation between galaxies.

"It could go anywhere." That's half the fun, friend.

And they're offfffffffffff!!

Ahsoka is definitely living up to Rebels' legacy right now.

[ooops-i-arted]

Let’s go ahead and do Grogu + Child development for season 3 episode 3 because I honestly don’t have a lot of commentary since Grogu’s screentime is minimal.

(I will say I am still VERY curious still what Pershing was doing with Grogu specifically.  We know he was harvesting blood but what about DNA?  He talks about cloning - is the 101 Yoditos AU still a possibility???  Will we have an army of Grogru clones?????  Let me dream!!)

Right off the bat we see Grogu once again making sure Dad is okay.  You know, Din, it’s not healthy for your child to see you in danger so often, it’s gotta give him anxiety.  (Great tv for us, though.)  He’s patting Dad a bit, perhaps he remembers Cara looking after Din when they were trapped in the cantina in Redemption?  He definitely knows Dad would never want the helmet off.  (I loved the “wtf???” look he gave Bo & Friends in The Heiress when they took theirs off.)  Even after he’s in the pod, he’s still watching Dad, seeming concerned.

I wonder if we’re going to see more of his ability to connect with the living Force?  We know now he “connected” with Luke somehow during the Scotty Beam Me Up rock meditation sequence, and we saw him connect with and calm the rancor.  Does Grogu sense the mythosaur at all?  Will he be the one to ride the mighty beast?  We know there’s a Jedi out there who specializes in animal connection - I know I complain about excessive cameos a lot but I wouldn’t be as mad if it was Ezra Bridger, who I actually really like, come to teach Grogu some more Force stuff.  But this is all speculative and I digress.

Of course the big question is once again whether Grogu spoke.  Did he say “This is the Way”?  I think he intended to.  These new sounds are different than the stock baby sounds and even the classic patu.  I think Grogu is more purposefully trying to speak and imitate Basic!  This shows a huge leap in observational and cognitive skills.  We’ve already seen him put together that sounds can be communication and he can use them to get his needs met.  Now he’s at the next step, trying to speak so that he can communicate with people on their level!  It’s honestly a really huge step because a late learner has to want it on some level.  If they don’t care, they don’t get it.  (Had a student years ago, not a native English speaker and didn’t care about learning English or understanding us, until we put snowflake window clings up and she finally learned to speak just to ask us if she could have them, because she loved Elsa.  Before that she didn’t give a shit no matter what we tried to do to engage her.)

Side note but I am SO glad Grogu can close his new pod too.  It’s good he recognizes an unsafe situation and does it himself without being asked.  He really is paying attention to details so much and reacting quickly!  (Or maybe he’s just like, “there’s no way this lady will let me sit in her lap and have fun” and/or “there’s no way she’s as good a driver as dad” and just did it for that reason lol.)  I bet he wasn’t happy about having to do a whole trip away from Dad, ugh.  Think Bo spent that whole time putting Din on speaker because Grogu wouldn’t stop whining unless she did?  She’s still mostly an unknown to him, though she was pretty nice to him last episode, so he might’ve tried to test her.

For the end scene he’s pretty much just a quiet observer.  Writing-wise, he’s not really relevant to the scene, but I also think he’s picked up from Din that the Armorer is someone to be respectful of and listen to, and once again is imitating his primary caretaker.  Maybe next time we’ll get to see the other Mandos and Mando kids interacting with and playing with him?  Or Din and Paz get in a fight and Paz is very surprised when he’s thrown across the room lol?  If Grogu is officially a Mando now, I think it’d be fun to get to know his tribe members!

[lightwise]

Ahsoka Episode 4 Spoilers/Thoughts

This was...a big one, to say the least.

Also note to self do NOT open tumblr while in the middle of watching an episode or you will be spoiled for that epic ending *sobs* oh well...

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

2/2 Star Wars characters repairing ship wiring on their back...v nice

Sabine, you realize none of you would be in this position if you hadn't squirreled away with the map in your tower...jus sayin...

"Can I count on you?" Yeah I'm gonna say that's a no...

Sabine loading her blasters is super cool but also giving me flashbacks to trying to reload staple gun or nail gun cartridges and hoping you don't launch them into your face in the process

Natasha plays Sabine's nervous energy very well and Rosario is showing Ahsoka's own unease, reserve, but also very caring concern, extremely well. I really wish we could see the history between these two--animated in between series anyone??

I wonder why Dave doesn't bring up the fact that Ahsoka owes Ezra her life. It's only focused on what Ezra means to Sabine, but he means a lot to Ahsoka too.

Huyang's lil hands on hips...you can tell he's a full practical build here.

Speaking of...I REALLY want to know if the practical robot was used for this fight scene, or if they switched to someone in a costume/CGI. It seems like the HK droids are people/CGI but I could be wrong about that. Either way, go Huyang go!

It's always a treat to see Mandos and Jedi fighting styles together. And Sabine's Wonder Woman vambrace block was great.

Ahsoka's white lightsabers are so stunning in live action.

"May I make one request of you both?" LISTEN TO HUYANG. HE KNOWS WHAT'S UP. "Stay together." And WHAT ARE THEY NOT GONNA DO SMH

"Mom, how come I have to do what I'm told and you don't" lmao

Jacen is so spunky and I'm so glad Dave is having him be a full part of the series.

Carson Teva my man! And Brendan!

BUT WHERE ARE ZEB AND KALLUS. WHERE ARE OUR MARRIED BOIS

"Faith? I lost that a long time ago" Baylon's backstory pleaseeeee. Who was his master. How far did he get in training. Was he knighted? Did he have a padawan pre-order 66? Where was he during the war? Where was he during Order 66? When did he walk away, and what did he walk away to? What are his goals now? How did he find Shin/why did he want to train her? We desperately need a comic or a book here Lucasfilm

The graphics for the countdown clock (and the droids manning them) are super cool

Shin dear lord can you be any more dramatic

Sabine and Shin running off like rabid wolves while Ahsoka is just like, oh please, do I really have to deal with this right now

Ahsoka > any inquisitor, dead or alive, magic or real, anytime, any place, any age LOL

Ugh the parallels to Obi-Wan and Maul are impeccable.

So I totally knew Marrok would be a nobody/throwaway character but a nightsister necromancer ghost??? Did not see that coming at all. Eerie

Shin seems honestly disturbed by seeing Marrok fall. I wonder if the body that was used was someone she knew or had a connection to.

The lightsaber usage in this show is so interesting and such a unique blend of samurai techniques, OT trilogy techniques, and more realistic stabbing and swiping and slicing motions. I love the choreography and cinematography of Shin and Sabine going at it as well as how the trees and landscape are used in their fight.

Looks like Shin got her dramatics from her master. Sitting there with his hood up for effect lol

Definitely getting flashbacks to Ahsoka's sass in her fight with Maul in TCW.

Baylon's textured armor is so incredible. I want to see him leading a 13th century cavalcade

Can he read people's minds? Or does he do in depth research like Thrawn does so he knows the weak points of his opponents?

“One must destroy in order to create.” No. You are incorrect sir. One must die. One must morph, must change, in order to create. But that is different than destroying.

Again with the one saber. It's such an odd choice for Ahsoka to do that, and it honestly feels like an excuse for Baylon to be able to overpower her later. I don't quite like it.

It is very interesting how Baylon views Ahsoka, and tells her that her legacy is death and broken promises. What exactly does he think her legacy is? Because that is Anakin's legacy, not hers (at least through Rebels). What has happened since then?

He looks so sad, honestly.

There's way too much leaving oneself open to attack in this episode.

The fight scene definitely looks slowed down a little, and it's a little clunky, but man Baylon is brutal with his saber. Again why is Ahsoka not using both of hers to combat is strength??

Either there's a trailer shot that never made it into this fight, or Baylon and Ahsoka fight again. I'm missing where she kicks back against one of those tall rocks and flips over. That was such a cool shot.

I honestly can't believe Shin was able to block the whistling birds lol. That would be an intense hit to the face. Also I love how much of the shots and sparks in these shows are practical. It makes it feel so much more real.

The map burning Ahsoka is wild. It makes sense but very unfortunate.

Hot damn Ahsoka! She definitely was tapping into some anger there. In real life that hit to the back of the head should have seriously injured Shin. Filoni is really being gritty and brutal with the fights in this show, they're raw and dirty in ways that the trilogies were not.

Aaaaaand while I know Ahsoka isn't dead yet (there's no way Filoni would kill off the title character halfway through a first season) holy cow that was heartwrenching

Baylon is a master manipulator. He makes Maul look like a babbling teenager. And yet he doesn't seem to derive any twisted pleasure from it. He just is doing what he thinks he needs to do.

I'm sorry Ahsoka had WHAT to do with Sabine's family dying???? In the Purge??? Ugh geez that's awful.

Gah DAMN it Sabine!! C'mon girl!! Bad decision, bad decision!

WHAT IS THIS GREATER GOOD BAYLON

I would have loved to see Obi-Wan face off against Baylon. The quiet patience and calm strength...too much for one room

He is just not done digging at Ahsoka is he. Again, master manipulator, but why?

Huyang's little magnifying glass!

Dave definitely nailed the lighting in this show. Even if the volume is still apparent in some shots, the lighting is finally dialed in and soft and realistic and atmospheric. That shot of Baylon after decimating the map is epic.

Yeahhh, Hera, ya'll might want to skedaddle right quick before you get....oh, too late....

"Mom? I've got a bad feeling." Me too kid, me too.

"Lady Wren, Lady Tano" *sobbing* Hera make sure Huyang makes it back pls

This transition.

Oh boy

I know what's coming bc I got on tumblr too early but OH MAN

ahhhh it's so gorgeous

it's here, it's finally here and it's BEAUTIFUL (The World Between Worlds, who did you think I was talking about, Anakin? ;)

I'm KIDDING ANAKIN IS BEAUTIFUL TOO OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES

"Hello Snips" I can't I truly can't

"I didn't expect to see you so soon" so is she dead? Dying? Disassociating while drowning? Dave if you kill Ahsoka off in this show I will never forgive you

She is in shock omg look at him she is reunited with her brother, her master, her friend!!

We think--DAVE WHAT DOES VADER THEME MEAN. DAVE, SIR, HOW DARE YOU KNOW HOW TO LEAVE US ON SUCH A CLIFFHANGER IT IS UNFAIR.

Welp I have no idea what to do with myself until next week and we find out what's going on here. I swear if that's not the real Anakin I will be beside myself.

Let's get ready for flashbacks folks. What an episode.

[authortobenamedlater]

@ladyknightskye tagged me.

Your name: Around here I go by AuthorToBeNamedLater or ATBNL.

Your first fandom(s): In terms of interest, Star Trek TNG. In terms of fandom engagement, seaQuest DSV.

Your current fandom(s): I measure “current fandom” in terms of “currently writing fic,” so Halo and The Mandalorian. Fandoms I love and post about here in rotation: Star Trek, Star Wars, MCU, Babylon 5, NCIS.

How did you first get into fandom? I honestly don’t remember a time when I wasn’t “into fandom” in some way? I suppose I really jumped in when I found FFN.

How long have you been engaging in fandom spaces?: Before you were born 😂 I found FFN very shortly after its launch in 1998.

How often do you read fanfics?: More often than I should LOL.

Top three characters from your current fandom(s): Is this three from each fandom or three altogether? I’ll go with the latter.

Cortana + John, Roland + Lasky (AIs and their humans are a package deal in my world), Kai.

Mando, Bo-Katan, Cara Dune because Cara is still in my Mandalore’s Reluctant Royals AU and if I ever get past the mental block of losing all my WIPs, she has a very important role to play.

Have you ever written fic for a fandom?: Only close to 100 between my FFN and AO3. Not counting the little snippets and micro fics I’ve shared only on Tumblr.

Have you ever drawn fanart for a fandom?: Aside from the Shadow vessel sponge painting I did in eighth grade art class, no. I’d like to change that though, because some of my off the wall AUs could do with visual content.

Share a personal headcanon that you feel very strongly about: Captain Shaw is married with kids and is a Chicago deep-dish pizza snob.

Tim McGee had an FFN account and probably has an AO3.

Thel ‘Vadam mixes up his English idioms Ziva David-style.

You’re trying to convince a friend to get into your current fandom(s) with you. what episode, clip, or scene are you showing them?: I am not showing ANYONE Halo, unless you come to me saying you want to watch it. And then I’m going to give you a bunch of caveats about how I’m obsessed with it but it’s really not that great except for when it is and you shouldn’t take it too seriously. Buckle up and grab your adult beverage of choice.

For game-verse Halo I’d show Johnson’s speech about the tank in Halo 2 because that’s what Mr showed me to rope me in.

Mandalorian, the first episode.

Babylon 5, I would start with the pilot movie if I could find it and then not let up until you’d watched five seasons of emotional roller coaster. I’d tell you what JMS said in the commentaries for Shattered Dreams and Sleeping in Light and Deconstruction of Falling Stars and how many of the actors died too young. After War Without End I would show you the video where JMS drops the bomb about why Michael O’Hare left the show. By the end of it you’d love the show but you might not love me anymore. 🤣

And finally, what does fandom mean to you?: A place where I can explore the highs and lows of the human experience in a safe environment. Sometimes I can put a little broken piece of myself into a fanfic or headcanon and not feel so broken anymore. I can “talk” about things in fiction that I can’t in real life.

A place where I can meet cool people whose paths I never would have crossed had we not been abnormal about a certain show or character. ❤️

Tagging all who see this!

[joels6string]

do you think we’ll get (at least one ) helmetless scene in the mandalorian this season?

so far this season doesn’t really do it for me so the thing i’m looking most forward to is seeing din djarin’s pretty face lol

Eh I don’t know. I don’t really care either way. I’m kind of hoping they don’t because then what was the point of the first two episodes and making him redeem himself? It would have to be a good, believable reason for me to support it because I hate wasted time in series’ that are already too short lol.

I love this season. We got a mythosaur already?! And Grogu is very much his own character with autonomy and a budding personality. But I also just love Star Wars and this season is just so much bigger in terms of making Mando matter within the existing world instead of it just being it’s own little standalone thing. The Andor vibes of last episode were amazing and they’re establishing some future villainy for not only more Mando, but all the series set in this time period. I find this era so fascinating because the OG trilogy is superior and with a Galaxy in ruin after the fall of their fascist Empire I know mistakes were made and I wanna see them. We’re watching the First Order brewing! I also think, at the end of the day, Grand Admiral Thrawn is coming, and like…hell fucking yes.

I’ve had so much fun theorizing what might be happening and what all these huge reveals mean so far, and I’ve never been able to do that in Mando before. Like, purgills (Ezra and Thrawn?? Does Grogu draw more Force power from hyperspace??), the mythosaur (Din my man are you the prodigy???), is Paz Vizsla going to try and get the saber again and it was never Bo vs Din at all? And Bo having to swallow she’s been wrong about the Creed and the Way forever?! Elia is def still working for Moff Gideon so wtf is he up to and why did he need Pershing’s brain wiped? Or maybe she just doesn’t want Pershing’s knowledge to get out and WHY?! Next ep is going to be Grogu-centric it sounds like from the title so do I get to see more of Order 66?! I’m thriving over here. If something in s3 doesn’t connect to Ahsoka I’ll be more disappointed than if we don’t get a helmetless scene 😂